The Reasons Our Team Went Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish-background men consented to work covertly to reveal a operation behind illegal High Street businesses because the criminals are causing harm the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish journalists who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for many years.

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout the United Kingdom, and aimed to learn more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Prepared with covert cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, attempting to purchase and manage a mini-mart from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to reveal how straightforward it is for an individual in these conditions to set up and run a enterprise on the commercial area in full view. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to legally establish the operations in their names, enabling to deceive the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also managed to secretly record one of those at the core of the operation, who asserted that he could eliminate government sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those using unauthorized workers.

"Personally sought to contribute in revealing these illegal practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent our community," states one reporter, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the United Kingdom illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that straddles the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his life was at threat.

The investigators admit that tensions over illegal immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But Ali explains that the unauthorized employment "damages the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

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

He says this particularly impressed him when he discovered that far-right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working covertly. Banners and flags could be spotted at the rally, reading "we want our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been observing online feedback to the investigation from inside the Kurdish population and say it has generated significant anger for some. One social media message they spotted said: "In what way can we identify and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

Another called for their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also seen allegations that they were informants for the British government, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman states. "Our objective is to reveal those who have harmed its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and extremely concerned about the actions of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking asylum claim they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now get about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which provides food, according to government regulations.

"Honestly saying, this is not adequate to support a dignified life," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally restricted from employment, he thinks numerous are open to being taken advantage of and are essentially "obligated to labor in the illegal sector for as low as three pounds per hour".

A official for the Home Office stated: "The government are unapologetic for not granting refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - doing so would establish an motivation for people to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum cases can take multiple years to be decided with approximately a one-third taking over 12 months, according to official data from the end of March this current year.

Saman states working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite easy to accomplish, but he explained to the team he would not have participated in that.

However, he explains that those he met employed in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", particularly those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"They used all their funds to come to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've forfeited everything."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

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