The Reasons We Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish men agreed to go undercover to expose a organization behind unlawful main street enterprises because the lawbreakers are damaging the standing of Kurds in the UK, they state.

The two, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided lawfully in the UK for many years.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish crime network was managing small shops, barbershops and car washes throughout the United Kingdom, and wanted to find out more about how it functioned and who was participating.

Equipped with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish refugee applicants with no permission to work, seeking to buy and manage a mini-mart from which to sell unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to uncover how easy it is for a person in these situations to start and manage a commercial operation on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, helping to mislead the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also managed to covertly film one of those at the centre of the network, who claimed that he could remove government penalties of up to £60,000 imposed on those hiring illegal workers.

"Personally aimed to participate in revealing these unlawful practices [...] to declare that they don't speak for our community," explains Saman, a ex- asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the country without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his life was at threat.

The journalists recognize that tensions over illegal immigration are elevated in the UK and state they have both been anxious that the probe could worsen tensions.

But Ali explains that the unauthorized working "negatively affects the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he believes obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, Ali says he was worried the reporting could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He explains this notably affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Banners and flags could be observed at the rally, displaying "we demand our country back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing social media feedback to the investigation from inside the Kurdish population and explain it has generated strong anger for certain individuals. One social media comment they spotted stated: "How can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

Another urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also encountered accusations that they were spies for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter says. "Our goal is to uncover those who have damaged its reputation. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply troubled about the activities of such people."

The majority of those seeking asylum say they are escaping political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a charity that assists asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He says he had to live on under £20 a per week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which provides food, according to Home Office policies.

"Honestly stating, this is not adequate to maintain a acceptable lifestyle," says the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prohibited from working, he thinks many are open to being manipulated and are essentially "obligated to work in the unofficial sector for as low as three pounds per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the Home Office stated: "The government are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the authorization to be employed - granting this would establish an motivation for people to come to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can require years to be decided with almost a 33% requiring more than a year, according to government statistics from the end of March this current year.

The reporter explains being employed illegally in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been very straightforward to achieve, but he informed the team he would never have participated in that.

However, he states that those he interviewed employed in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "disoriented", especially those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals expended their entire savings to travel to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

The other reporter acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] say you're forbidden to be employed - but additionally [you]