The Reasons We Went Undercover to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals decided to work covertly to expose a network behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the lawbreakers are causing harm the image of Kurds in the Britain, they state.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was managing mini-marts, hair salons and car washes the length of the UK, and wanted to find out more about how it functioned and who was participating.

Equipped with covert cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no authorization to work, looking to buy and manage a convenience store from which to distribute illegal tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to discover how straightforward it is for someone in these conditions to start and operate a commercial operation on the commercial area in public view. Those participating, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, enabling to mislead the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly record one of those at the centre of the operation, who stated that he could erase official sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds imposed on those using unauthorized employees.

"Personally wanted to contribute in revealing these unlawful practices [...] to say that they don't characterize us," says Saman, a former asylum seeker personally. Saman entered the country without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a region that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his safety was at threat.

The reporters acknowledge that disagreements over illegal immigration are elevated in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the inquiry could worsen hostilities.

But Ali states that the illegal employment "damages the entire Kurdish community" and he considers driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, Ali explains he was concerned the coverage could be used by the far-right.

He says this especially impressed him when he realized that radical right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom protest was happening in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Signs and flags could be seen at the gathering, displaying "we demand our nation returned".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring online feedback to the exposé from inside the Kurdish population and say it has sparked intense anger for certain individuals. One social media post they found stated: "How can we find and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

A different called for their families in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also read claims that they were agents for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish-origin community," Saman states. "Our objective is to reveal those who have harmed its reputation. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly concerned about the activities of such individuals."

Most of those applying for asylum say they are fleeing political discrimination, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a charity that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than £20 a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now receive about £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which includes food, according to Home Office policies.

"Realistically stating, this isn't enough to sustain a acceptable lifestyle," says Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely prevented from employment, he feels a significant number are open to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the unofficial economy for as low as £3 per hour".

A official for the government department said: "The government make no apology for denying refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - doing so would establish an incentive for individuals to come to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can require multiple years to be decided with nearly a 33% requiring over a year, according to official statistics from the spring this current year.

Saman says working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very easy to accomplish, but he explained to the team he would not have engaged in that.

However, he explains that those he encountered laboring in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "lost", particularly those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals spent all of their savings to come to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're forbidden to work - but simultaneously [you]