The Reasons We Chose to Go Undercover to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals consented to work covertly to uncover a network behind illegal commercial businesses because the wrongdoers are damaging the standing of Kurds in the Britain, they state.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running mini-marts, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout Britain, and sought to learn more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Armed with secret recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, seeking to buy and run a small shop from which to distribute contraband tobacco products and vapes.

They were able to discover how simple it is for someone in these circumstances to establish and manage a commercial operation on the main street in public view. Those participating, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to register the enterprises in their names, helping to mislead the authorities.

Ali and Saman also were able to discreetly record one of those at the heart of the operation, who asserted that he could erase official sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those using unauthorized laborers.

"I sought to participate in exposing these unlawful operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent our community," says Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter entered the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his well-being was at threat.

The reporters acknowledge that disagreements over illegal immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the investigation could inflame hostilities.

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

Additionally, Ali mentions he was anxious the publication could be used by the radical right.

He says this especially impressed him when he noticed that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was working undercover. Placards and flags could be observed at the rally, showing "we want our nation back".

Both journalists have both been tracking online reaction to the investigation from inside the Kurdish population and explain it has caused strong frustration for certain individuals. One social media message they spotted stated: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

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

They have also encountered accusations that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin community," Saman explains. "Our goal is to uncover those who have harmed its reputation. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply troubled about the actions of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for asylum say they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a organization that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, struggled for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was considered.

Refugee applicants now get approximately £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to official guidance.

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

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from working, he feels many are vulnerable to being exploited and are essentially "compelled to work in the illegal market for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the government department said: "The government are unapologetic for not granting asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would establish an motivation for people to migrate to the UK illegally."

Asylum cases can require years to be processed with approximately a one-third taking more than one year, according to official figures from the end of March this year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been quite straightforward to do, but he informed us he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he met working in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", particularly those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all their savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've lost everything."

The other reporter concurs that these people seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] say you're prohibited to work - but additionally [you]