83: Teens Tracking ICE: Confronting Trump's Deportation Reality

When the Trump administration began its immigration crackdown in Chicago, teenage brothers Ben and Sam Luhmann became a part of a rapid-response network of volunteers that documents ICE raids and assists families of those detained in the arrests. In the first half of this episode we talk with Ben and Sam about their activism and the role that their Christian faith played in inspiring them to put their faith into action. Then we chat with their mother Audrey and discuss how their faith journey and growing awareness of injustice led them all to reimagine what it means to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Show Notes: - "Teens Tracking Ice" News Coverage:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yKSgM0G1xQ  https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2026/01/31/suburban-teen-brothers-on-ice-watch-in-minneapolis-this-is-nothing-like-chicago-this-is-so-much-worse https://religionnews.com/2025/11/25/how-one-conservative-christian-family-is-pushing-back-against-ice/  - Audrey's Social Media: https://x.com/LuhmannAudrey https://www.instagram.com/audreyluhmann/ - Caste: https://www.isabelwilkerson.com/ - The Tears of Things https://thetearsofthings.com/ - EU bans destroying unsold clothes: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/new-eu-rules-stop-destruction-unsold-clothes-and-shoes-2026-02-09_en The Progressive Christians Podcast is available on all podcast platforms, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians Please subscribe to the Love Your Neighbor newsletter, an outgrowth of this podcast community. It will be a way for us to create new relationships and deepen existing ones with people of faith who want to learn how to practice their faith in ways that align with their values of love, justice, and compassion. We hope to see you on Substack! If you love the show, please sign up to become a supporter of The Progressive Christians Podcast! You can choose to make a one-time or monthly donation, and your support is tax-deductible. We need your support to continue and grow this outreach ministry. You can sign up to support us here: https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at [email protected].  #progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion