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

A pair of Kurdish-background men agreed to operate secretly to expose a organization behind unlawful main street enterprises because the criminals are damaging the image of Kurds in the UK, they say.

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

The team found that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was operating mini-marts, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services the length of the United Kingdom, and wanted to find out more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Prepared with secret recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to be employed, seeking to purchase and operate a mini-mart from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to uncover how simple it is for a person in these circumstances to establish and run a commercial operation on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their names, assisting to mislead the officials.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly document one of those at the core of the operation, who asserted that he could erase government fines of up to £60,000 encountered those hiring illegal workers.

"I sought to contribute in exposing these illegal operations [...] to declare that they do not characterize us," states Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the country without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at threat.

The reporters acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized migration are significant in the United Kingdom and say they have both been concerned that the investigation could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized labor "harms the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he considers obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, Ali explains he was concerned the reporting could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this particularly struck him when he noticed that far-right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Signs and flags could be spotted at the rally, showing "we want our nation back".

Both journalists have both been monitoring online response to the exposé from within the Kurdish community and say it has sparked strong frustration for some. One social media message they observed said: "In what way can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

A different called for their relatives in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also read claims that they were agents for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish population," one reporter says. "Our objective is to reveal those who have damaged its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply concerned about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those applying for refugee status say they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he first arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to survive on under twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now receive approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which includes food, according to Home Office regulations.

"Honestly saying, this isn't adequate to support a dignified life," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely prevented from employment, he thinks numerous are susceptible to being exploited and are effectively "obligated to work in the illegal economy for as low as three pounds per hour".

A official for the authorities said: "We make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the permission to be employed - granting this would establish an incentive for people to travel to the UK illegally."

Asylum applications can require a long time to be decided with approximately a third requiring more than 12 months, according to official figures from the end of March this current year.

The reporter states being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very straightforward to achieve, but he explained to the team he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he encountered working in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "lost", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all their savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali concurs that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

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