The Reasons Our Team Chose to Go Undercover to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background men decided to work covertly to expose a organization behind illegal commercial establishments because the wrongdoers are damaging the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

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

Investigators found that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was managing small shops, barbershops and car washes the length of the UK, and aimed to discover more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Equipped with hidden recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to work, looking to acquire and run a convenience store from which to trade contraband tobacco products and vapes.

They were successful to uncover how simple it is for an individual in these situations to set up and run a business on the main street in plain sight. Those involved, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the enterprises in their names, enabling to mislead the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also managed to secretly document one of those at the centre of the organization, who stated that he could remove government sanctions of up to £60k encountered those employing illegal workers.

"I sought to play a role in revealing these unlawful operations [...] to declare that they do not represent us," states Saman, a ex- refugee applicant personally. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at danger.

The investigators acknowledge that tensions over unauthorized migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the inquiry could intensify conflicts.

But Ali explains that the unauthorized labor "damages the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Separately, the journalist mentions he was anxious the reporting could be exploited by the far-right.

He states this notably impressed him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity protest was occurring in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating covertly. Signs and banners could be seen at the rally, showing "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been observing social media response to the investigation from inside the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has sparked strong frustration for some. One social media comment they found said: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

One more called for their families in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also read claims that they were agents for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman explains. "Our aim is to uncover those who have compromised its reputation. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly troubled about the actions of such people."

The majority of those applying for refugee status state they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that assists asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our covert journalist one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He explains he had to live on under twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which provides food, according to Home Office policies.

"Realistically stating, this is not enough to sustain a respectable existence," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from working, he thinks many are open to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to labor in the black sector for as little as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the government department said: "We make no apology for denying asylum seekers the authorization to be employed - doing so would create an incentive for people to come to the UK without authorization."

Asylum cases can require years to be resolved with nearly a one-third requiring more than one year, according to official data from the late March this current year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been very straightforward to achieve, but he told the team he would not have done that.

However, he states that those he met laboring in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all of their savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum rejected and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're prohibited to work - but also [you]