ATLANTA —  Each year, nearly 1 million foreigners unlawfully sneak into the United States.

But don’t call them "illegal aliens" because that's the moral equivalent of a racial slur, according to the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (search).

"We do find that term very offensive and liken it to the 'n' word as well," GALEO Executive Director Kerry Gonzalez said, referring to the derogatory term used to describe black people.

Gonzalez is urging Georgia lawmakers to use the term "undocumented workers" when referring to foreigners who enter the United States.

But immigration control advocates say it's just an attempt to use political correctness for political gain. While racial epithets are used to harm the innocent, the word "illegal" describes those who break the law.

"When we have public discourse we have to talk about illegal aliens. After all, U.S. law refers to all of these people sneaking into our country as illegal aliens," said Phil Kent of the American Immigration Control Foundation (search).

Click here for a complete report by Fox News' Jonathan Serrie.