Why We Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish individuals agreed to work covertly to expose a organization behind unlawful main street enterprises because the lawbreakers are causing harm the reputation of Kurds in the Britain, they explain.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish investigators who have both resided legally in the UK for many years.

Investigators found that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was operating mini-marts, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout the United Kingdom, and aimed to discover more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Armed with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no permission to work, attempting to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how simple it is for an individual in these situations to start and operate a business on the High Street in full view. The individuals participating, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, helping to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to covertly document one of those at the core of the operation, who stated that he could eliminate government sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those hiring unauthorized workers.

"I aimed to participate in revealing these unlawful practices [...] to declare that they don't speak for us," explains Saman, a former refugee applicant personally. Saman entered the UK without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his well-being was at risk.

The reporters recognize that disagreements over illegal immigration are high in the United Kingdom and say they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify hostilities.

But Ali explains that the illegal employment "damages the whole Kurdish population" and he believes compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, the journalist says he was anxious the coverage could be used by the far-right.

He states this especially impressed him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the protest, reading "we demand our nation returned".

The reporters have both been tracking social media response to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin population and say it has generated strong anger for some. One social media comment they spotted read: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

One more urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also encountered accusations that they were informants for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish community," one reporter explains. "Our aim is to uncover those who have harmed its image. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly concerned about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those applying for refugee status claim they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He explains he had to survive on less than £20 a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now get approximately £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which offers meals, according to Home Office policies.

"Realistically saying, this isn't enough to sustain a dignified life," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prohibited from working, he thinks a significant number are vulnerable to being exploited and are essentially "forced to work in the black sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the government department stated: "We make no apology for denying refugee applicants the permission to work - doing so would create an reason for individuals to migrate to the UK illegally."

Refugee cases can take years to be decided with approximately a 33% taking more than a year, according to official figures from the late March this current year.

Saman states working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to do, but he explained to the team he would never have participated in that.

However, he explains that those he encountered working in unauthorized convenience stores during his work seemed "lost", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"They spent their entire money to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] declare you're prohibited to work - but additionally [you]