The Reasons Our Team Chose to Go Covert to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish-background men decided to go undercover to reveal a operation behind unlawful High Street establishments because the wrongdoers are damaging the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they state.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running small shops, hair salons and car washes throughout Britain, and sought to discover more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with hidden cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no permission to work, attempting to purchase and run a small shop from which to distribute contraband cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to reveal how straightforward it is for a person in these conditions to set up and operate a commercial operation on the commercial area in full view. Those participating, we found, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, enabling to deceive the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also managed to discreetly document one of those at the centre of the operation, who stated that he could erase official fines of up to £60,000 encountered those hiring unauthorized workers.

"Personally sought to play a role in revealing these illegal activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent us," says Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the country without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a area that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his safety was at threat.

The investigators admit that conflicts over illegal immigration are high in the UK and say they have both been anxious that the inquiry could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized employment "harms the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he believes obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, Ali explains he was concerned the coverage could be seized upon by the far-right.

He says this especially struck him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Banners and banners could be spotted at the gathering, displaying "we want our country returned".

The reporters have both been monitoring social media reaction to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has caused intense frustration for some. One Facebook comment they found stated: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also encountered allegations that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter says. "Our goal is to uncover those who have compromised its reputation. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply worried about the activities of such people."

Most of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a charity that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for many years. He explains he had to survive on under twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now receive about £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which includes food, according to Home Office guidance.

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

Because refugee applicants are largely prohibited from working, he thinks many are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are practically "compelled to labor in the illegal economy for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the Home Office commented: "We do not apologize for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would create an incentive for individuals to come to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can take a long time to be processed with nearly a one-third taking more than 12 months, according to government figures from the end of March this current year.

The reporter explains being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very easy to do, but he informed the team he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he interviewed employed in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "confused", notably those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent their entire funds to migrate to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali agrees that these individuals seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're not allowed to work - but additionally [you]