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

Two Kurdish men decided to work covertly to reveal a network behind illegal main street establishments because the lawbreakers are causing harm the image of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish reporters who have both lived legally in the UK for a long time.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was managing small shops, hair salons and car washes throughout Britain, and wanted to learn more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Equipped with secret cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no right to work, attempting to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to sell illegal cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to discover how easy it is for an individual in these situations to establish and run a business on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals involved, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to register the operations in their names, assisting to mislead the authorities.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly film one of those at the centre of the operation, who asserted that he could erase government penalties of up to £60,000 encountered those hiring unauthorized workers.

"Personally wanted to play a role in revealing these illegal activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for Kurdish people," says Saman, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter entered the country illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a area that covers the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his well-being was at danger.

The investigators recognize that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the inquiry could worsen tensions.

But Ali explains that the unauthorized working "damages the entire Kurdish population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, the journalist explains he was worried the reporting could be used by the far-right.

He says this notably impressed him when he noticed that far-right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Placards and flags could be observed at the gathering, showing "we demand our nation back".

Both journalists have both been tracking social media reaction to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin population and say it has sparked significant frustration for some. One social media post they spotted read: "How can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

One more urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also seen allegations that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter explains. "Our aim is to expose those who have compromised its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly troubled about the activities of such persons."

The majority of those seeking asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, experienced challenges for many years. He explains he had to live on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides meals, according to official policies.

"Practically speaking, this is not sufficient to support a respectable life," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely prohibited from employment, he feels a significant number are vulnerable to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to labor in the unofficial economy for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the Home Office said: "We do not apologize for not granting asylum seekers the permission to be employed - doing so would create an motivation for people to come to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum cases can require a long time to be decided with almost a 33% requiring over 12 months, according to government figures from the late March this year.

Saman says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to accomplish, but he explained to us he would never have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he states that those he encountered employed in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"They spent their entire money to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've forfeited everything."

The other reporter acknowledges that these people seemed in dire straits.

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