Why We Went Undercover to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals decided to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal High Street businesses because the lawbreakers are causing harm the standing of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they state.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish journalists who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was running small shops, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and aimed to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, attempting to purchase and manage a convenience store from which to sell illegal tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to uncover how straightforward it is for someone in these situations to establish and run a commercial operation on the main street in public view. The individuals involved, we found, pay Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the businesses in their names, enabling to deceive the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to secretly film one of those at the core of the operation, who claimed that he could eliminate official penalties of up to £60k imposed on those hiring unauthorized workers.

"I sought to contribute in exposing these unlawful operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not characterize our community," says one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant personally. The reporter entered the UK without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his life was at threat.

The investigators acknowledge that conflicts over illegal immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify hostilities.

But the other reporter explains that the illegal employment "harms the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, the journalist explains he was concerned the reporting could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this particularly struck him when he noticed that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was working undercover. Signs and banners could be observed at the rally, displaying "we demand our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring online reaction to the investigation from inside the Kurdish-origin community and say it has caused intense anger for certain individuals. One social media message they spotted stated: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

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

They have also seen allegations that they were agents for the UK authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have compromised its reputation. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish identity and extremely concerned about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those seeking refugee status say they are escaping political oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to survive on under twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now get about £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which includes food, according to official policies.

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

Because asylum seekers are largely prohibited from employment, he thinks numerous are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are effectively "obligated to work in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the government department stated: "The government make no apology for refusing to grant refugee applicants the right to work - doing so would create an incentive for people to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can take a long time to be resolved with nearly a third taking more than one year, according to official statistics from the late March this current year.

The reporter states being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to achieve, but he explained to us he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he encountered employed in unauthorized convenience stores during his work seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all their savings to come to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

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