LOS ANGELES – The 2020 Census could have a question about United States citizenship.

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, is the group making and distributing the pledge cards. Census campaign manager Esperanza Guevara hopes to reach hundreds of thousands of people.

There are three boxes on the cards: you can "volunteer to get the count out," "tell friends and family," or simply "complete the Census." CHIRLA will mail the cards back as a reminder come Census time.

The possibility of a citizenship status question on the 2020 Census is troublesome for some people.

“We won’t be intimidated and that’s part of the reason this administration is wanting to add the citizenship question, but we’re not going to take the bait and we’re going to participate in the census,” said Guevara.

Guevara says the additional question could be enough to stop immigrants from participating.

“There is still that fear of that if something happens. They know I am not a U.S. citizen and they could come after me,” said Citlalli Ortiz.

Ortiz was not born in the United States. She is undocumented and comes from a mixed-status family since her younger sisters were born in the U.S. A question about citizenship would certainly make Ortiz hesitate.

There is a lot riding on the results of the survey. The data will be used to dole out $675 billion in federal funding. Fire departments, schools, highways, and hospitals all have something to lose if the numbers aren’t right.

Ortiz says some people might be too frightened to be counted.

“It’s going to hurt our communities. It’s going to hurt the areas immigrant communities live in,” said Ortiz.

When Guevara gives out the pledge cards there is at least one thing she is sure to mention. The government can’t use your answers against you in court. There are a lot of other things she can explain, but that is a powerful statement and it can change minds.

The Census will start in April 2020.