Forced Labor Working Group Member for the 2021 National Outreach Survey for Transportation

As Legal Aid Society's (LAS) Outreach Coordinator, Micaela has led outreach and training efforts on human trafficking awareness and assistance on behalf of LAS. She is currently the principal investigator for a DOJ-OVC grant to identify and address barriers for labor trafficking, which has expanded LAS’ outreach work throughout the state of Illinois. Micaela conducts direct outreach activities to provide information on worker rights and remedies, labor exploitation and trafficking, including resources to seek help. She also provides technical assistance to help build capacity to identify and address labor trafficking and exploitation. She has also been engaged in advocacy efforts in state, federal, and international forums to address human trafficking and intersectional issues.

Micaela holds multiple leadership positions in the anti-trafficking field within the state: she chairs the Labor Trafficking Subcommittee for Cook County’s Human Trafficking Task Force. She has built its membership since 2014, bringing stakeholders to the table from law enforcement, labor agencies, worker rights groups, service providers and academia. She also co-chairs the Statewide Task Force on Human Trafficking for direct service providers and first responders in Illinois. Micaela is fluent in English and Tagalog.