An estimated 1.8 million undocumented immigrants are part of California’s labor force. Like other undocumented immigrants across the country, these California residents are forced to live and work in the shadows — all the while providing labor for jobs that many say few Americans would take.

Currently, the state legislature is considering a bill that would grant legal status in the form of work permits for the tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants working in the agriculture and food service industries.

Introduced in January by Assemblymember V. Manuel Perez (D-Coachella), the bill would grant work permits to undocumented immigrants for a fee. Additionally, members of the immediate family could also be granted a legal permit to reside in California.

“We believe we can become the model,” said Assemblymember Perez to the Silicon Valley Mercury News. Perez also clarified to the Mercury News that the bill is not a guest worker program. Instead, it would only apply to people who have already been living and working in California — in effect, officially recognizing the tens of thousands of people who already make up the backbone of agriculture and service jobs.

Read the full story at The Huffington Post