News 12 at 11 o'clock -- March 21, 2010

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- This year is the first time there have been bilingual census forms sent out in an effort to reach more of the Spanish speaking population.

The last census found about 8 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

This year census officials are reaching out to those who are undocumented, in order to get everyone counted in the United States whether they are legal or not.

Narciso Mora-Castillo and his family moved to Augusta from Mexico for a better life five years ago, he said.

Now the college student is taking full advantage of what this country has to offer and hopes to be a medical assistant one day.

He said when he first moved here it was difficult with the language barrier, but he believes the bilingual forms are good.

"I think it's a good thing," Mora-Castillo said. "Because no matter what your reason for being here is, you have to make yourself count for this country."

His family is here legally and has already sent in their census form, but he says there are others who are not here legally who fear sending it in.

"They're kind of afraid to send those forms out because they think that if they find out they are not legally here immigration is going to come and get them," Mora-Castillo said.

But U.S. Census advocate Mallory Millender said that's not the case.

"Nobody and when I say nobody, I mean nobody can get this information," Millender said.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates around 475,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Georgia as of 2008. California is shown to have the largest number of undocumented immigrants in the study, while Georgia has the seventh largest amount of them.

The fact they have that many to add to the population could add to the amount of money the state gets, Millender said.

"The percentage that we get depends on the number of people in our population," he said. "The number of people who respond to the census."

But since they aren't legally here, Millender said there are some who don't believe undocumented immigrants should be counted and benefit from the state funding.

"It's always been every person because every person uses the facilities," Millender said. "Everyone uses the hospitals, roads, bridges and education."

Even more reasons Mora-Castillo thinks everyone should follow his lead and send it in too.

"It's simple questions we can answer really easily," Mora-Castillo said. "And no matter if you are here legally or illegally, you still live here."

The U.S. Census Bureau sent out 13 million bilingual forms this year.

The deadline to send the census form in is April 1, 2010.

Millender said it's a felony for anyone to obtain the information in the census that has never happened before, another reason why undocumented immigrants shouldn't worry.