Why We Went Undercover to Expose Crime in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish individuals decided to work covertly to reveal a network behind unlawful High Street establishments because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the standing of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish reporters who have both resided lawfully in the UK for many years.

The team discovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was operating small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout Britain, and aimed to find out more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Armed with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no right to be employed, attempting to purchase and operate a small shop from which to sell contraband tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to uncover how easy it is for someone in these conditions to establish and run a business on the commercial area in public view. The individuals participating, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their identities, helping to mislead the officials.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to covertly film one of those at the heart of the network, who stated that he could eliminate government fines of up to £60k faced those using unauthorized laborers.

"Personally wanted to play a role in uncovering these unlawful practices [...] to say that they don't characterize Kurdish people," explains one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the UK illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that covers the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his safety was at danger.

The reporters acknowledge that conflicts over illegal immigration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could intensify hostilities.

But the other reporter states that the illegal working "harms the entire Kurdish community" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Separately, the journalist mentions he was anxious the coverage could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He explains this notably affected him when he noticed that extreme right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was occurring in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Signs and banners could be seen at the rally, showing "we demand our country returned".

Both journalists have both been observing social media reaction to the investigation from inside the Kurdish-origin community and report it has caused strong outrage for some. One Facebook message they spotted said: "How can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

A different urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also seen claims that they were agents for the British government, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter states. "Our aim is to reveal those who have damaged its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish identity and extremely troubled about the behavior of such people."

The majority of those seeking asylum say they are fleeing political persecution, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He says he had to survive on under twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now receive approximately £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which provides food, according to official regulations.

"Realistically saying, this is not enough to sustain a acceptable lifestyle," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prohibited from employment, he feels numerous are vulnerable to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to labor in the black sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "We make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the permission to be employed - doing so would create an incentive for individuals to travel to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee cases can take multiple years to be processed with nearly a third taking more than 12 months, according to official figures from the late March this current year.

Saman explains being employed illegally in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely straightforward to do, but he told the team he would never have participated in that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed laboring in unauthorized mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", particularly those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used their entire money to come to the UK, they had their asylum denied and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] state you're prohibited to be employed - but additionally [you]