Last week, the Iowa Workforce Development agreed to reduce Agriprocessors, Inc.’s fine from $10 million to $1 million in an attempt to make sure the state gets at least some payment from the company.

Agriprocessors, Inc. was raided in May of 2008 for the company’s use of undocumented workers in the kosher meat packing factory — a raid that was the largest in U.S. history at the time.

Iowa Workforce Development representatives said the reason they reduced the fine so much was that the company first has to pay private creditors before the state. The department was afraid that if the fine remained so large, the state would get nothing.

The department also reduced the company’s fine for not paying 42 workers their last paychecks — a cumulative total of $4,900.

Reducing a company’s fine is no way to curb illegal immigration or illegal activity. Reducing fines only tells other companies that breaking the law is okay, because in the end it’s just a slap on the wrist.

Undocumented workers will keep coming to the United States seeking a better life, regardless of consequences, and companies like Agriprocessors, Inc. are willing to hire them.

If the government really wants to stop undocumented workers from coming to the United States, it should not reduce, but raise fines. This way, companies driving illegal immigration will be forced to follow the laws or be pushed out of business.

The system we have now does nothing but let companies off easy while families of undocumented workers are ripped apart. In turn, the American public pays larger taxes to keep workers in custody or under house arrest. All for the crime of seeking a better life in “the land of opportunity.”

Our immigration system needs to be reformed to ensure future stability. But, if the government continues to take a lax stance with corporations, nothing will change.