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

A pair of Kurdish-background men agreed to go undercover to uncover a operation behind illegal High Street enterprises because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the image of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

The two, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin investigators who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for a long time.

The team found that a Kurdish criminal operation was running mini-marts, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout Britain, and aimed to find out more about how it worked and who was participating.

Prepared with covert cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, looking to acquire and operate a small shop from which to distribute illegal tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to reveal how straightforward it is for an individual in these circumstances to set up and manage a business on the commercial area in full view. Those participating, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to register the operations in their identities, enabling to fool the authorities.

Ali and Saman also were able to discreetly record one of those at the centre of the network, who claimed that he could erase government sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those hiring unauthorized laborers.

"I wanted to contribute in revealing these illegal practices [...] to say that they do not characterize us," says one reporter, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a area that covers the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The investigators recognize that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are high in the UK and state they have both been concerned that the inquiry could inflame conflicts.

But Ali explains that the illegal employment "negatively affects the entire Kurdish community" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, the journalist says he was anxious the publication could be seized upon by the far-right.

He says this particularly affected him when he noticed that far-right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Banners and flags could be spotted at the gathering, displaying "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking online response to the exposé from inside the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has generated strong anger for some. One Facebook comment they spotted read: "In what way can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

Another demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were spies for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin community," Saman explains. "Our objective is to uncover those who have damaged its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish heritage and extremely concerned about the behavior of such persons."

Most of those seeking refugee status say they are escaping political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a charity that supports refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he initially came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He explains he had to live on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now get about forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which offers food, according to Home Office guidance.

"Practically saying, this is not adequate to sustain a acceptable life," states the expert from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are largely prevented from employment, he thinks a significant number are open to being taken advantage of and are effectively "obligated to labor in the illegal sector for as little as £3 per hour".

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

Refugee applications can take years to be resolved with nearly a one-third taking over 12 months, according to government statistics from the spring this year.

Saman says being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to do, but he explained to us he would not have done that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"They used all of their savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed everything."

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

"When [they] say you're not allowed to be employed - but additionally [you]