Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

Two Kurdish men decided to operate secretly to uncover a operation behind unlawful High Street businesses because the criminals are damaging the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they state.

The two, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for years.

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was managing mini-marts, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services the length of the United Kingdom, and aimed to find out more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Armed with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, looking to buy and manage a convenience store from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how straightforward it is for someone in these circumstances to set up and manage a commercial operation on the main street in public view. Those participating, we found, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their names, helping to mislead the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly record one of those at the centre of the organization, who stated that he could remove government sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds imposed on those employing unauthorized workers.

"I wanted to participate in exposing these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent Kurdish people," states one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the country without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at risk.

The journalists admit that disagreements over unauthorized migration are elevated in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the illegal employment "negatively affects the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he believes obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, the journalist mentions he was anxious the coverage could be used by the radical right.

He states this notably impressed him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity rally was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Placards and flags could be spotted at the rally, displaying "we want our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing online response to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has sparked strong anger for certain individuals. One social media comment they spotted read: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

One more called for their families in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also read accusations that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish population," Saman explains. "Our aim is to expose those who have harmed its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and extremely concerned about the behavior of such persons."

Most of those applying for asylum say they are escaping political persecution, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a charity that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he initially came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to live on under £20 a per week while his asylum claim was considered.

Refugee applicants now receive about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which includes meals, according to official regulations.

"Practically speaking, this isn't adequate to maintain a dignified existence," says the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are generally prevented from employment, he thinks many are open to being exploited and are effectively "obligated to work in the illegal market for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the government department stated: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the permission to be employed - granting this would generate an motivation for individuals to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can take a long time to be resolved with approximately a one-third taking over 12 months, according to official data from the end of March this year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been very straightforward to accomplish, but he explained to us he would not have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"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 people seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] state you're prohibited to work - but simultaneously [you]