Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish individuals agreed to work covertly to uncover a operation behind unlawful main street establishments because the lawbreakers are damaging the standing of Kurds in the Britain, they say.

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

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was operating convenience stores, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services the length of the United Kingdom, and sought to learn more about how it worked and who was involved.

Armed with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no authorization to be employed, looking to purchase and manage a small shop from which to trade contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to discover how straightforward it is for a person in these circumstances to set up and operate a business on the High Street in full view. Those participating, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the operations in their identities, helping to mislead the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to discreetly document one of those at the centre of the operation, who claimed that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those hiring illegal employees.

"I wanted to play a role in exposing these illegal practices [...] to say that they don't represent our community," explains one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the country illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that straddles the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists acknowledge that conflicts over illegal immigration are significant in the UK and say they have both been worried that the probe could inflame tensions.

But Ali says that the illegal labor "damages the whole Kurdish population" and he considers compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, the journalist says he was anxious the coverage could be exploited by the radical right.

He says this notably affected him when he realized that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was happening in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Signs and flags could be seen at the rally, displaying "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking online reaction to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin population and report it has caused intense anger for certain individuals. One Facebook post they spotted stated: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

A different urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also read claims that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our aim is to expose those who have damaged its reputation. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish heritage and profoundly worried about the behavior of such individuals."

Most of those seeking refugee status state they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a charity that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which includes food, according to official policies.

"Honestly speaking, this is not sufficient to maintain a respectable life," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from working, he thinks a significant number are open to being exploited and are essentially "obligated to work in the black sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A official for the authorities commented: "We do not apologize for refusing to grant asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would create an reason for individuals to come to the UK illegally."

Asylum cases can require a long time to be processed with nearly a third requiring more than 12 months, according to government data from the spring this current year.

Saman explains being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely straightforward to achieve, but he informed the team he would never have engaged in that.

Nonetheless, he says that those he encountered working in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals spent all of their savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] say you're prohibited to be employed - but also [you]