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

Two Kurdish men consented to operate secretly to expose a network behind illegal High Street enterprises because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they say.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish crime network was operating mini-marts, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and aimed to discover more about how it operated and who was involved.

Equipped with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, attempting to purchase and manage a mini-mart from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were successful to discover how straightforward it is for a person in these circumstances to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in full view. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the businesses in their identities, helping to fool the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also managed to discreetly document one of those at the heart of the operation, who asserted that he could eliminate official penalties of up to £60,000 imposed on those using unauthorized laborers.

"Personally sought to play a role in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to say that they do not characterize Kurdish people," states one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the UK without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that covers the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his life was at threat.

The reporters recognize that tensions over illegal migration are high in the UK and state they have both been worried that the inquiry could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized employment "damages the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he feels driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, the journalist explains he was anxious the publication could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He explains this particularly affected him when he discovered that extreme right activist a prominent activist's national unity rally was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Signs and flags could be observed at the protest, displaying "we want our country returned".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media response to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin community and say it has sparked intense anger for certain individuals. One Facebook message they spotted stated: "In what way can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were spies for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter explains. "Our objective is to expose those who have damaged its reputation. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and deeply concerned about the actions of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for asylum state they are escaping political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He explains he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now get approximately forty-nine pounds a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which includes meals, according to official regulations.

"Honestly saying, this is not sufficient to maintain a acceptable existence," states the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are mostly prohibited from working, he feels a significant number are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are practically "compelled to work in the unofficial economy for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities commented: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the right to work - doing so would establish an reason for people to travel to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum applications can take years to be decided with approximately a third taking more than a year, according to official data from the late March this year.

The reporter explains working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to do, but he informed the team he would not have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he interviewed employed in unauthorized mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"They expended all their savings to come to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've lost their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed hopeless.

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