The Reasons We Went Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish men decided to go undercover to expose a network behind illegal High Street businesses because the criminals are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the Britain, they say.

The pair, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin investigators who have both resided legally in the UK for years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running mini-marts, barbershops and car washes the length of the UK, and sought to find out more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Equipped with covert cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, looking to purchase and run a mini-mart from which to distribute contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to discover how simple it is for someone in these circumstances to set up and operate a commercial operation on the High Street in public view. The individuals involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their identities, assisting to mislead the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly record one of those at the heart of the operation, who stated that he could erase government sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those using illegal laborers.

"I wanted to contribute in uncovering these unlawful operations [...] to say that they do not speak for us," explains Saman, a ex- asylum seeker himself. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a area that straddles the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his safety was at threat.

The journalists recognize that disagreements over unauthorized migration are high in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized labor "harms the entire Kurdish population" and he considers compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Separately, Ali explains he was worried the coverage could be used by the far-right.

He explains this especially affected him when he realized that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom protest was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Banners and flags could be observed at the protest, reading "we want our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been observing online response to the exposé from within the Kurdish community and explain it has sparked strong frustration for some. One social media comment they observed read: "How can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

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

They have also seen accusations that they were spies for the British authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of damaging the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our aim is to expose those who have damaged its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly troubled about the activities of such persons."

Most of those applying for asylum claim they are fleeing political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for years. He says he had to live on under twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which includes food, according to official guidance.

"Honestly speaking, this isn't sufficient to sustain a respectable lifestyle," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prevented from working, he thinks a significant number are susceptible to being exploited and are practically "obligated to labor in the illegal sector for as low as three pounds per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities commented: "We do not apologize for denying refugee applicants the right to work - granting this would generate an motivation for people to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can take a long time to be resolved with nearly a one-third requiring over one year, according to official statistics from the spring this current year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been extremely straightforward to achieve, but he explained to us he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed working in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "confused", especially those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've forfeited all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed hopeless.

"When [they] declare you're not allowed to be employed - but simultaneously [you]