Why Our Team Went Undercover to Expose Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish men consented to work covertly to uncover a network behind illegal High Street enterprises because the wrongdoers are causing harm the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they say.

The two, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish reporters who have both lived legally in the UK for a long time.

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running convenience stores, hair salons and car washes across the United Kingdom, and wanted to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Equipped with secret cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, attempting to acquire and manage a small shop from which to trade illegal tobacco products and vapes.

The investigators were successful to reveal how straightforward it is for a person in these situations to set up and run a commercial operation on the main street in plain sight. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to register the businesses in their names, assisting to deceive the officials.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly film one of those at the core of the operation, who asserted that he could eliminate official penalties of up to £60,000 encountered those employing illegal employees.

"Personally aimed to participate in uncovering these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent our community," explains one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant himself. Saman came to the United Kingdom illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his safety was at danger.

The investigators recognize that tensions over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the inquiry could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter says that the illegal employment "damages the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, the journalist says he was worried the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He states this especially impressed him when he noticed that far-right activist Tommy Robinson's national unity march was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Signs and flags could be seen at the protest, displaying "we want our country back".

Both journalists have both been observing social media response to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish community and report it has generated significant frustration for certain individuals. One social media comment they spotted stated: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also encountered claims that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter states. "Our goal is to expose those who have compromised its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and deeply troubled about the behavior of such individuals."

Most of those seeking asylum say they are escaping political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that helps refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, struggled for years. He explains he had to live on under £20 a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now get about £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which offers meals, according to government regulations.

"Honestly saying, this isn't adequate to maintain a respectable lifestyle," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prevented from employment, he believes many are susceptible to being exploited and are effectively "forced to labor in the unofficial economy for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the authorities stated: "We make no apology for denying refugee applicants the authorization to work - doing so would create an incentive for people to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can require a long time to be decided with almost a 33% taking over one year, according to official statistics from the late March this year.

The reporter says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite easy to achieve, but he explained to the team he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met working in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"They used their entire funds to come to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these individuals seemed desperate.

"If [they] say you're forbidden to work - but simultaneously [you]