Why We Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish men decided to work covertly to uncover a network behind illegal commercial enterprises because the criminals are damaging the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they explain.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish reporters who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for many years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was running convenience stores, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services across Britain, and aimed to find out more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no right to be employed, attempting to purchase and manage a small shop from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

They were successful to uncover how simple it is for an individual in these circumstances to start and run a business on the main street in public view. Those participating, we discovered, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, helping to fool the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also were able to covertly film one of those at the centre of the organization, who stated that he could remove government fines of up to £60,000 imposed on those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I sought to contribute in exposing these unlawful practices [...] to say that they don't characterize our community," says one reporter, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the UK illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a area that straddles the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a state - because his well-being was at risk.

The reporters recognize that conflicts over illegal immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the inquiry could worsen conflicts.

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

Additionally, Ali says he was worried the coverage could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this notably impressed him when he discovered that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity march was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Signs and banners could be observed at the gathering, reading "we want our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring online reaction to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin population and say it has sparked strong frustration for certain individuals. One Facebook post they observed stated: "How can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

One more called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen claims that they were informants for the British government, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish population," one reporter says. "Our objective is to expose those who have harmed its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish identity and extremely troubled about the actions of such persons."

Most of those seeking refugee status claim they are fleeing political oppression, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a organization that assists asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our covert journalist one investigator, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now get approximately £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which offers food, according to government policies.

"Realistically speaking, this isn't adequate to support a dignified lifestyle," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from working, he feels many are open to being exploited and are essentially "compelled to work in the unofficial economy for as low as three pounds per hour".

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "We do not apologize for not granting refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - granting this would generate an incentive for individuals to travel to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can require a long time to be resolved with approximately a one-third taking over one year, according to official figures from the spring this current year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been very simple to achieve, but he told us he would not have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered laboring in illegal convenience stores during his work seemed "confused", especially those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent all of their funds to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've forfeited everything."

The other reporter concurs that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"If [they] say you're not allowed to work - but also [you]