Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background men consented to work covertly to expose a network behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the criminals are damaging the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they state.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both lived lawfully in the UK for many years.

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating convenience stores, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across the United Kingdom, and wanted to find out more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no permission to work, attempting to purchase and run a small shop from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

They were able to uncover how straightforward it is for a person in these situations to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in full view. Those involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to register the operations in their identities, helping to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to covertly record one of those at the core of the network, who stated that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those using unauthorized workers.

"Personally sought to play a role in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to say that they don't characterize us," says Saman, a former asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the UK without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that covers the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his well-being was at danger.

The journalists recognize that disagreements over illegal migration are high in the United Kingdom and say they have both been concerned that the inquiry could intensify hostilities.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized employment "negatively affects the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he feels driven to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, Ali says he was worried the coverage could be exploited by the far-right.

He says this especially affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Placards and flags could be observed at the gathering, showing "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring social media reaction to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin community and say it has generated significant anger for certain individuals. One Facebook comment they found stated: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

One more demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen allegations that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish community," one reporter says. "Our aim is to uncover those who have damaged its image. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly troubled about the activities of such persons."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He says he had to live on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was reviewed.

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

"Honestly saying, this is not sufficient to support a dignified existence," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are generally prohibited from working, he believes a significant number are open to being manipulated and are effectively "obligated to labor in the illegal economy for as low as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the authorities stated: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the permission to work - granting this would create an reason for people to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can require multiple years to be decided with approximately a one-third taking more than one year, according to official figures from the late March this year.

Saman explains working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been quite easy to achieve, but he told the team he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he encountered working in unauthorized convenience stores during his work seemed "confused", notably those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals spent all of their savings to travel to the UK, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these individuals seemed desperate.

"If [they] say you're prohibited to be employed - but also [you]