The Luhmann Brothers: Inside the Federal Occupation of Minneapolis
Eyes on ICE
Most seventeen year olds spent their winter break playing video games or sleeping in. Ben Luhmann spent his booking a flight to a war zone.
He and his sixteen year old brother Sam did not go to Minneapolis for a vacation. They went because the federal government had turned the Twin Cities into a “battlespace” and they refused to let it happen in the dark.
For months the brothers had patrolled West Chicago and tracked ICE agents during “Operation Midway Blitz.” But when the crackdown shifted north and turned lethal they packed their body cams and flew directly into the heart of the occupation.
As Ben told reporters upon arrival this was no longer just immigration enforcement.
“This is nothing like Chicago,” he said. “This is so much worse.”
The Training Ground
Before they became the eyes of the resistance Ben and Sam were just two homeschoolers in Illinois who paid attention.
When the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz in late 2025 the brothers turned their silver 2018 Toyota Corolla into a mobile surveillance unit. They spent five hours a day tracking the unmarked Dodge Chargers and Ford Explorers that signify a raid is imminent.
They developed a protocol that was disciplined and effective.
The Eyes: They used dashcams and body cameras to document every interaction with federal agents.
The Network: When they spotted a convoy they broadcast the location on Signal to a rapid-response network of volunteers.
The Tactics: They learned to identify “decoy” convoys used by DHS to lure observers away from active raids.
Inside the mobile command center where the brothers tracked federal agents in Chicago.
They were effective in Chicago. But Chicago was just preparation for what was coming next.
The Catalyst
The dynamic changed on January 7, 2026.
That was the day an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old poet and mother, in South Minneapolis. While national media debated the talking points the Luhmann brothers took action. They flew to the Twin Cities less than 24 hours later.
Renee Good, 37, whose killing by federal agents drew the brothers to Minneapolis
They arrived to find a city under federal occupation. DHS had launched “Operation Metro Surge” and flooded the streets with 2,000 federal agents. This was not standard law enforcement. It was a military operation. The tactics had shifted from surveillance to brute force and effectively suspended the local rule of law.
“It is so surreal to watch propaganda being made in front of your eyes,” Ben said after witnessing the escalation firsthand.
The Commander
Every occupation has an architect. In Minneapolis it was Commander Gregory Bovino.
Bovino served as the “Commander at Large” for the Border Patrol and became the face of the surge. He was not hiding in an administrative office. He was on the street in full tactical gear treating American citizens like insurgents.
The brothers tracked his movements and documented his aggression.
The Tear Gas: They filmed Bovino allegedly throwing a tear gas canister into a crowd of nonviolent protesters.
The Removal: Their footage helped expose the reality on the ground. By early February Bovino was stripped of his title and removed from the city following the public backlash.
The brothers document Commander Bovino before his removal.
Holding the Line
The danger in Minneapolis is real. On January 24 the brothers were near the scene where Alex Pretti, a VA nurse, was shot and killed by federal agents. They watched the paramedics unload the stretcher. They heard the grief of the neighbors.
They are just teenagers. They are couch surfing and staying in Airbnbs. They are still trying to do their homeschool work between patro they refuse to leave as long as the federal government occupies the city.
“We are going to keep fighting,” Ben said. “And they are not going to stop people from caring about their neighbors.”
“We don’t have funding. We just have cameras.”
They do not have institutional backing. They do not have corporate funding. They just have cameras and a conscience. And right now that is the most dangerous thing in Minneapolis.
Sources & Further Reading
Daily Herald: West Chicago teens on ICE watch in Minneapolis: ‘This is nothing like Chicago’
Star Tribune: A pair of teen Chicago brothers are in the thick of tracking ICE activity in Minneapolis
The Guardian: Border patrol commander to leave Minneapolis after Alex Pretti shooting
CTV News: These young brothers sacrifice normal teenage life to be full-time ICE watchers
The Documentary: Meet the teen brothers tracking ICE (YouTube)
https://ko-fi.com/eyesonice
