CNN ran a profile on two teenage brothers who spend their days following federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, and the piece raises real questions about media encouragement of risky activism by minors.
CNN published a profile piece on Monday about two brothers who waste away their days as “ICE watchers” in Minneapolis. The story centers on Sam and Ben Luhmann, who are 16 and 17 years old and who record ICE activity and log license plates while roaming the city.
CNN refers to the pair as “trained ICE watchers,” an entirely made-up occupation that there is not legitimate training for, and are “documenting federal immigration agents’ actions with cell phone video and quickly warning of agents’ locations with whistles and car horns.” That description treats activism like a credential and a civic good, without reckoning with the danger of putting kids into confrontations with federal officers.
That self-made credential is dangerous. Some of these “trainings” have been found to include information on how to pressure or even assault officers to de-arrest agitators.
It is important to note that Renee Good, the woman shot after striking a federal agent with her Honda Pilot, “has been memorialized” as the poster woman for these so-called “ICE Watchers.” Her case ended in tragedy, and yet elements in activist circles still lionize that outcome.
The brothers are homeschooled and, according to the profile, appear to be couch-surfing in Minneapolis while they run their patrols. They reportedly patrol until around noon, then return to whatever temporary lodging they have to do schoolwork, though their activism clearly takes priority over consistent schooling.
It’s clear from the statements of the boys that the lies told by Democrats and the media have inspired these kids to go on their self-righteous crusade. “There’s a lot of things I’d rather be doing,” Sam told CNN. “It seems like all my time is being used on this, which I will never regret doing this because I feel like people have to do something.”
Sam’s next comment gets even more direct. “I think it’s so wrong, and it’s hard to see that and just say, ‘It doesn’t personally affect me, so I’m gonna ignore it and let other people suffer the consequences,’” Sam continued. “This is happening, it’s not okay, and I’m gonna do something about it.”
Ben described the work in blunter, almost casual terms when he said it was “almost like an internship.” Treating street activism as resume-building glosses over the legal and safety risks, and the way media coverage can normalize risky behavior for teenagers.
The profile also ran footage the brothers shot of ICE making an arrest and dispersing a crowd, which CNN presented without a lot of context. That kind of selective video has fueled narratives about law enforcement misconduct for years, even when fuller evidence tells a different story.
The boys’ parents reportedly encourage the behavior and say they’re proud of their sons’ work. Their father, Professor Andrew Luhmann of Wheaton College, and his wife Audrey have taken their children to protests and appear to have shaped this path for their teens.
Audrey said she had no idea where her kids were when news broke about another so-called “ICE watcher” involved in a shooting, yet she still believed her children “belonged” in Minneapolis. That resolve from parents raises clear conservative concerns: why are adults pushing minors toward confrontation with federal agents?
Audrey told CNN: “As a parent, how could I say no? How could I say, ‘No, you need to stick to your book learning, and just ignore this for now, we’ll read about it in history books later.’ Like, are you serious?” That rhetorical stance shows how parents and sympathetic media can normalize risking a child’s safety in service of a political mission.
For its part, DHS announced on the same day that it will be issuing bodycams to every officer in Minneapolis. Say goodbye to out-of-context videos and leftist narratives, because the truth of ICE’s operation in the city will be free for all to see.
