They gave me a pill that put me to sleep. I was supposed to sleep for a day and then wake up, but there was no guarantee that I would wake up,” said CSU East Bay sophomore Jordy, recalling his experience crossing the U.S.-Mexico border with his family’s close friends.

“My parents had already crossed the border, and I was 10 when I left,” said Jordy, who asked for his family’s last name to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.

Jordy is one of over 350,000 people who were granted their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order as of June, receiving social security and health benefits, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Approximately 365,000 undocumented immigrants, who arrived in the United States within the last six-years, under the age of 31 and with a two-year lawful presence applied for DACA.

He is now able to continue his education at CSUEB, studying anthropology and business, after receiving his DACA approval last month.

“It was either continue my education or join the service, like the army or military,” said Jordy, referring to the facets that also include a fee equating to almost $500, having arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16, and requires a renewal every year, according to the Homeland Security website.

Though his parents are still seeking federal relief to solidify residency in the country, he says his dreams of giving his family a comfortable life in the U.S. would be more feasible with the passing of SB 744.

Jordy’s family, after the senate’s passing of SB 744 on June 27,  may receive temporary legal status along with the approximate 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S., according to news reports.

The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, SB 744, would allow Jordy’s family to receive temporary legal status upon passing a criminal background check as well as paying fines and outstanding back taxes, according to the Bill. It states, if they are able to successfully maintain a clean record and hold a job then they are eligible to apply for a green card in the next 10 years and later apply for U.S. citizenship three years later.

After crossing the border, Jordy arrived in Richmond, Calif. where he reunited with his parents and began his secondary education at Pinole Valley High School. His parents recommended he apply for DACA, which he did last year.  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a memorandum of the DREAM Act passed by the Obama Administration in June 2012, according to the Immigration Policy Center website.

“There was constant fear of deportation around me. It’s been put to rest for now, but the rest of my family is still in danger,” said Jordy. “Taking away that fear will help my family live comfortable.”

Jordy’s mother Silvia says the family wanted a better life than she thought was possible in Mexico. SB 744 would change the legal immigration system by increasing temporary work visas for foreign employees in construction, hospitality, retail and insurance industries as well as those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics industries.

“Here, with my husband working in construction and my son in school, we can move forward and hope to live better in the future,” said Silvia. “We watch the news and see what new information we can get that will help our family live better lives.”

SB 744 in its current state would allow temporary status and several amendments would continue to prevent immigration through spending $30 billion to double the size of border patrol, while another $8 billion would be used to purchase drones, airplanes, surveillance technology and helicopters to help monitor activity along the 1,954-mile Mexican border, according to Politico.

The bill still needs to pass through the House of Representatives before the order is enacted. Yet, the House is currently weighing the pros and cons, according to govTrack, a government transparency website. The bill may have a 43 percent chance in passing, govTrack states.

Keely Wong contributed to this article.