In 2016, xenophobic Trump-era policies emboldened abusive employers and led to an intensification of labor trafficking. In response, Damayan collaborated with attorneys and mobilized survivor leaders to push for an agreement with the Philippine Consulate to protect Filipino migrant workers.
In 2017, Damayan and the Philippine Consulate General in NY signed the groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to address the trafficking of Filipino migrant workers. The first-of-its-kind agreement between a consulate and a worker center, the MOU aimed to provide services, training, and resources to trafficked workers and led to the creation of the Anti-Trafficking Working Group.