Dexis strengthens Guatemalan law enforcement and migration systems to counter transnational crime and enhance U.S. border security.
About
Dexis partners with Guatemalan law enforcement to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of transnational crime before it reaches U.S. borders. We also support Guatemala’s migration agency in deploying modern IT solutions to enhance the management of legal migration, combat illegal migration, and improve information sharing between Guatemalan institutions and U.S. law enforcement and homeland security agencies.
Challenge
In 2023, U.S. officials recorded over 2.4 million migrant encounters at the southern border—straining resources and exposing deeper security risks. But by the time migrants reach the U.S border, it’s already too late. Human smuggling has grown into a $13 billion global enterprise, with roots in Central America and deep ties to drug cartels.
Criminal networks in Central America adapt their tactics constantly to smuggle migrants and drugs into the U.S. These networks use encrypted communication, counter-surveillance, and local recruiters to move tens of thousands of migrants northwards. Coyote fees now exceed $20,000 per person, the equivalent of five years of rural income in Guatemala. To pay, families take on high-interest loans or fall into exploitative labor arrangements, leading to long-term debt and coercion.
In addition to combating migrant smuggling and transnational crime, countries in the region often lack the infrastructure to manage legal migration effectively. Until recently, Guatemala’s Migration Institute had no digital system to track entries and exits—making it nearly impossible to screen travelers or share information with U.S. and international databases. This gap left borders vulnerable and allowed individuals who posed security risks to move undetected toward the United States.
Approach
Dexis is helping stop human smuggling before it reaches U.S. borders.
In Guatemala—a major corridor for northbound migration—Dexis works alongside national police to disrupt the criminal networks profiting from human smuggling and drug trafficking. We strengthened the capacity of specialized police units, including the Department Against Migrant Smuggling and the Anti-Gang Division, by providing targeted training, modern investigative tools, and field equipment.
To expose smuggling routes and dismantle criminal operations, Dexis introduced cutting-edge digital solutions. We helped authorities analyze seized cell phone audio using voice recognition software and built custom applications to search through more than ten terabytes of criminal data. With these tools, Guatemalan police are better equipped to identify suspects, map trafficking patterns, and share actionable intelligence with U.S. and regional counterparts—keeping criminal networks from advancing further north.
Dexis is modernizing border security through data integration.
To help Guatemala manage legal migration and strengthen border security, Dexis designed and deployed a modern IT system that connects directly with U.S. homeland security databases. Built for the Guatemalan Migration Authority, the system—called MIROS GT—links with DHS’s Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) and Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP). MIROS GT is now being rolled out at La Aurora International Airport and will soon expand to land border crossings, giving authorities the tools to screen travelers in real time and flag high-risk individuals before they reach the U.S. border.
Achievements
- Big data analysis identified over a hundred Facebook profiles linked to coyotes and their associates.
- The time needed to identify criminal patterns in 12,000 extortion reports was reduced from weeks to 10 minutes.
- 156 high caliber weapons, 60 cell phones, and $58,000 in cash have been seized to date.
- IT system (MIROS-GT) transitions Guatemalan migration management from paper-based forms to a modern electronic platform.
- Several people with arrest warrants have been stopped as they try to enter the U.S via Guatemala—before they are at a U.S port of entry.
