Every ten years the U.S. constitution requires the federal government to take a census of every single person in the nation, and that means counting the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country.

But such a tally could be problematic to say the least if the Senate seriously considers a proposal to question census responders about their immigration status, a plan that would likely create more fear and distrust in immigrant communities, where it’s difficult to take accurate surveys already.

On top of that, not getting an accurate count of the undocumented population could potentially ignore millions of Latino youths.

Here is the most recent data from this year, taken from the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan organization that conducts national surveys and analyzes census data from years past:

-The undocumented population is at least 11.9 million in the United States

-At least 76 percent of the nation’s unauthorized immigrant population are of Latino descent.

-Men ages 18-39 make up 35 percent of the undocumented immigrant population, compared with only 14 percent among the U.S. citizen population

- Women ages 20-39 make up approximately 20 percent of the undocumented immigrant population, compared with 18 percent among the U.S. citizen population

The census determines federal spending guidelines in each state for health care and educational programs. The count also distributes political power by determining the size and shape of congressional districts for the House of Representatives.

Currently, Latino youths are part of a surging demographic that’s expected to more than double by 2050 in the United States.

Whether the count will be accurate—amid an aura of financial woes, local boycotts and factual distortions—remains to be seen.