The Reasons Our Team Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background individuals decided to operate secretly to reveal a operation behind illegal High Street enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they explain.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish investigators who have both resided lawfully in the UK for many years.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was operating convenience stores, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across Britain, and wanted to discover more about how it operated and who was involved.

Armed with hidden recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, seeking to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to sell unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

They were able to discover how easy it is for a person in these circumstances to set up and operate a enterprise on the main street in full view. Those participating, we found, pay Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their names, helping to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly document one of those at the core of the organization, who claimed that he could erase government fines of up to £60k faced those employing unauthorized workers.

"I wanted to play a role in uncovering these illegal activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent us," says Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the United Kingdom illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at danger.

The investigators recognize that disagreements over illegal immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and say they have both been anxious that the probe could worsen conflicts.

But Ali says that the illegal employment "damages the entire Kurdish population" and he believes obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, the journalist mentions he was worried the publication could be used by the far-right.

He says this particularly affected him when he discovered that extreme right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity protest was occurring in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Placards and flags could be seen at the rally, showing "we want our country returned".

The reporters have both been tracking online response to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish population and explain it has sparked strong frustration for some. One Facebook comment they observed said: "In what way can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

One more demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were agents for the UK government, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish population," Saman says. "Our aim is to expose those who have harmed its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply concerned about the activities of such persons."

The majority of those applying for asylum state they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that supports refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than £20 a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which offers meals, according to official guidance.

"Realistically saying, this is not sufficient to maintain a acceptable life," says the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prevented from working, he thinks numerous are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are practically "compelled to work in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hour".

A official for the government department commented: "We are unapologetic for not granting refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - doing so would establish an reason for people to come to the UK without authorization."

Asylum cases can take multiple years to be decided with almost a 33% requiring more than one year, according to government statistics from the end of March this year.

The reporter says working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very straightforward to accomplish, but he told the team he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he met laboring in illegal convenience stores during his research seemed "disoriented", especially those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all of their savings to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these people seemed desperate.

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