The Reasons Our Team Chose to Go Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish men decided to work covertly to uncover a operation behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the image of Kurds in the UK, they state.

The two, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for a long time.

The team found that a Kurdish-linked crime network was managing convenience stores, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout Britain, and wanted to learn more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Equipped with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, attempting to buy and manage a small shop from which to sell contraband tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to uncover how straightforward it is for an individual in these situations to establish and operate a commercial operation on the main street in plain sight. Those involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the businesses in their identities, helping to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to covertly document one of those at the heart of the network, who stated that he could eliminate official penalties of up to £60k imposed on those employing illegal laborers.

"I sought to play a role in exposing these illegal activities [...] to declare that they do not characterize Kurdish people," states one reporter, a former asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the country without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a state - because his life was at threat.

The investigators admit that conflicts over illegal immigration are significant in the UK and say they have both been worried that the investigation could inflame tensions.

But Ali says that the unauthorized employment "damages the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he considers compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, the journalist explains he was worried the reporting could be used by the extreme right.

He states this especially struck him when he noticed that extreme right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Banners and banners could be seen at the gathering, showing "we want our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring online response to the inquiry from within the Kurdish population and report it has caused strong frustration for some. One Facebook post they spotted read: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

A different urged their families in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also encountered accusations that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our aim is to expose those who have compromised its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish heritage and deeply worried about the actions of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking refugee status claim they are fleeing politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to live on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive about £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which provides food, according to Home Office policies.

"Practically saying, this is not adequate to maintain a respectable existence," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prevented from employment, he thinks many are susceptible to being exploited and are essentially "forced to work in the unofficial sector for as low as three pounds per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities commented: "We do not apologize for not granting refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would establish an incentive for individuals to travel to the UK illegally."

Asylum cases can require multiple years to be decided with approximately a third taking over 12 months, according to official figures from the late March this current year.

The reporter says being employed illegally in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely simple to accomplish, but he told the team he would never have engaged in that.

However, he explains that those he met employed in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", notably those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"They used all their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter acknowledges that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"If [they] state you're forbidden to work - but simultaneously [you]