Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background men agreed to operate secretly to expose a network behind illegal High Street businesses because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they say.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for a long time.

Investigators found that a Kurdish criminal operation was running convenience stores, hair salons and car washes the length of Britain, and aimed to discover more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Armed with covert cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to work, looking to acquire and operate a convenience store from which to trade unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to reveal how straightforward it is for someone in these circumstances to set up and operate a commercial operation on the High Street in plain sight. Those involved, we found, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the businesses in their names, enabling to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also managed to covertly record one of those at the core of the network, who claimed that he could erase government sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I sought to contribute in revealing these unlawful activities [...] to say that they do not speak for us," explains Saman, a ex- asylum seeker himself. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a area that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his life was at danger.

The journalists acknowledge that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and state they have both been concerned that the inquiry could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized working "harms the whole Kurdish population" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

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

He says this particularly struck him when he noticed that radical right activist Tommy Robinson's national unity march was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Signs and banners could be observed at the rally, displaying "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been observing social media reaction to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has generated significant anger for some. One Facebook post they observed said: "In what way can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

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

They have also read accusations that they were agents for the British authorities, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish-origin community," Saman states. "Our goal is to uncover those who have damaged its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly troubled about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking asylum say they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, 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 scenario for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He says he had to live on under twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided about forty-nine pounds a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which provides food, according to Home Office regulations.

"Practically saying, this isn't adequate to sustain a acceptable life," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely prohibited from working, he feels many are open to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to work in the illegal market for as little as three pounds per hour".

A official for the government department stated: "We make no apology for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - granting this would generate an motivation for individuals to travel to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can require multiple years to be processed with approximately a third requiring more than 12 months, according to official data from the late March this year.

The reporter states working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to accomplish, but he informed us he would not have engaged in that.

However, he states that those he interviewed working in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", particularly those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"They used their entire savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed in dire straits.

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