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

Two Kurdish individuals decided to operate secretly to uncover a organization behind illegal commercial businesses because the criminals are negatively affecting the image of Kurds in the UK, they explain.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was running mini-marts, hair salons and car washes throughout Britain, and aimed to find out more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Equipped with hidden cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, seeking to buy and manage a convenience store from which to trade illegal cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to discover how simple it is for an individual in these situations to set up and manage a commercial operation on the main street in full view. The individuals involved, we found, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, enabling to deceive the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to discreetly film one of those at the centre of the organization, who stated that he could remove official sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds encountered those using illegal employees.

"Personally aimed to participate in uncovering these illegal operations [...] to declare that they do not speak for Kurdish people," says Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. The reporter entered the UK without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a region that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized migration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the inquiry could inflame tensions.

But Ali explains that the illegal working "damages the entire Kurdish population" and he believes obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, the journalist mentions he was worried the coverage could be used by the far-right.

He says this notably affected him when he noticed that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity march was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Placards and flags could be observed at the rally, showing "we demand our country back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing online feedback to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin community and say it has caused strong outrage for some. One Facebook message they spotted said: "In what way can we identify and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

One more demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen accusations that they were agents for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter states. "Our aim is to uncover those who have compromised its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly worried about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status state they are fleeing political discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the case for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived 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 processed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to official policies.

"Practically saying, this is not enough to sustain a dignified life," says the expert from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prevented from employment, he feels a significant number are susceptible to being manipulated and are essentially "compelled to labor in the black economy for as low as three pounds per hour".

A official for the Home Office said: "We are unapologetic for not granting asylum seekers the right to be employed - doing so would generate an reason for individuals to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can take multiple years to be resolved with nearly a 33% requiring over 12 months, according to government data from the late March this year.

Saman says working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very simple to achieve, but he informed the team he would not have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he encountered employed in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "disoriented", particularly those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"They spent their entire funds to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've forfeited everything."

Ali agrees that these individuals seemed desperate.

"If [they] declare you're forbidden to work - but additionally [you]