Why Our Team Went Undercover to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish individuals decided to go undercover to reveal a network behind unlawful High Street establishments because the criminals are damaging the standing of Kurdish people in the Britain, they state.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish reporters who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for a long time.

Investigators found that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was operating small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services across the UK, and aimed to learn more about how it worked and who was participating.

Armed with covert cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, looking to purchase and manage a convenience store from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how straightforward it is for an individual in these situations to establish and operate a business on the main street in plain sight. Those involved, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their identities, helping to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also managed to secretly film one of those at the core of the network, who claimed that he could eliminate official fines of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those employing unauthorized workers.

"Personally wanted to contribute in uncovering these unlawful activities [...] to declare that they do not speak for us," explains Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the UK illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that covers the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at risk.

The reporters recognize that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are significant in the UK and say they have both been worried that the probe could worsen hostilities.

But Ali states that the illegal working "harms the entire Kurdish population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, the journalist says he was worried the reporting could be seized upon by the far-right.

He explains this particularly struck him when he discovered that radical right activist Tommy Robinson's national unity rally was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the rally, showing "we want our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been tracking social media response to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has caused intense outrage for certain individuals. One Facebook post they observed stated: "In what way can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

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

They have also seen allegations that they were agents for the UK authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish population," Saman explains. "Our objective is to uncover those who have harmed its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish heritage and profoundly concerned about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those applying for refugee status state they are escaping politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He explains he had to survive on under £20 a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now get about £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes food, according to Home Office policies.

"Practically speaking, this is not enough to support a dignified existence," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly restricted from employment, he thinks numerous are vulnerable to being exploited and are practically "forced to work in the illegal market for as little as three pounds per hour".

A spokesperson for the government department said: "The government are unapologetic for refusing to grant refugee applicants the right to be employed - granting this would generate an motivation for individuals to come to the UK illegally."

Asylum cases can require years to be resolved with approximately a third taking over a year, according to official figures from the spring this current year.

Saman states being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely straightforward to accomplish, but he explained to the team he would not have done that.

However, he states that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "disoriented", especially those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"They used their entire funds to come to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali concurs that these individuals seemed hopeless.

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