The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish men decided to go undercover to expose a operation behind unlawful main street establishments because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish reporters who have both lived lawfully in the UK for years.

The team found that a Kurdish-linked crime network was running mini-marts, barbershops and car washes across the UK, and sought to find out more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Prepared with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to be employed, seeking to acquire and manage a mini-mart from which to trade illegal cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to reveal how simple it is for someone in these circumstances to start and run a business on the main street in public view. Those involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to legally establish the operations in their identities, assisting to deceive the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to covertly film one of those at the centre of the operation, who stated that he could remove government penalties of up to £60k imposed on those hiring unauthorized employees.

"I sought to play a role in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not characterize us," states one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his life was at threat.

The reporters admit that tensions over illegal migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and say they have both been worried that the inquiry could inflame hostilities.

But Ali explains that the unauthorized employment "harms the entire Kurdish population" and he considers compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, the journalist says he was concerned the coverage could be seized upon by the radical right.

He states this notably impressed him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity rally was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Placards and banners could be observed at the rally, reading "we want our country back".

Saman and Ali have both been tracking social media feedback to the exposé from inside the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has generated intense anger for certain individuals. One social media post they observed read: "How can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

One more demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also seen claims that they were spies for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman says. "Our objective is to uncover those who have damaged its image. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and extremely concerned about the activities of such persons."

The majority of those applying for asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on under £20 a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now are provided about £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which offers food, according to Home Office policies.

"Realistically saying, this isn't sufficient to sustain a acceptable life," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from employment, he thinks a significant number are open to being manipulated and are practically "forced to work in the unofficial economy for as little as three pounds per hour".

A official for the authorities stated: "The government make no apology for not granting refugee applicants the permission to work - granting this would generate an motivation for individuals to travel to the UK illegally."

Asylum applications can require multiple years to be decided with approximately a one-third taking over one year, according to government data from the end of March this current year.

Saman explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely simple to do, but he explained to us he would not have done that.

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

"They used all their funds to come to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've sacrificed all they had."

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

"If [they] state you're not allowed to work - but also [you]