The Reasons We Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish-background men consented to work covertly to expose a operation behind unlawful main street establishments because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the standing of Kurds in the UK, they state.

The two, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both resided lawfully in the UK for a long time.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was operating convenience stores, barbershops and car washes the length of the United Kingdom, and aimed to find out more about how it operated and who was involved.

Armed with hidden recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to work, seeking to purchase and manage a small shop from which to distribute illegal tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how simple it is for an individual in these circumstances to start and operate a business on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals participating, we learned, pay Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the operations in their names, enabling to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly film one of those at the heart of the network, who asserted that he could erase official fines of up to £60,000 faced those using unauthorized workers.

"I aimed to play a role in exposing these illegal operations [...] to declare that they don't characterize us," states one reporter, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter came to the United Kingdom illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that straddles the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his life was at danger.

The investigators recognize that conflicts over unauthorized migration are elevated in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the inquiry could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter states that the illegal working "negatively affects the whole Kurdish community" and he feels driven to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, Ali explains he was anxious the reporting could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this notably struck him when he realized that radical right activist a prominent activist's national unity protest was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Banners and flags could be spotted at the protest, showing "we demand our country back".

The reporters have both been tracking online reaction to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has caused intense anger for some. One Facebook message they observed said: "How can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

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

They have also encountered claims that they were agents for the British authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish-origin population," Saman states. "Our aim is to uncover those who have damaged its image. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and extremely worried about the behavior of such people."

The majority of those seeking refugee status say they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for many years. He says he had to live on under twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was processed.

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

"Realistically stating, this is not sufficient to support a acceptable lifestyle," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely restricted from working, he believes many are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to labor in the unofficial sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the authorities stated: "We are unapologetic for refusing to grant asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would create an reason for individuals to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can require years to be decided with nearly a 33% taking over 12 months, according to official data from the end of March this current year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to achieve, but he explained to the team he would not have engaged in that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he encountered laboring in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all of their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum rejected and now they've forfeited everything."

Ali concurs that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

"When [they] declare you're forbidden to work - but also [you]