I define myself!

Abstract This chapter offers an in-depth ethnographic account of how the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL) fosters political subject formation among undocumented youth in Chicago. The chapter shows that self-organizations like IYJL function as activist infrastructures where undocumented migrants are recruited, trained, and mobilized. It examines the IYJL’s organizational culture, leadership practices, and activist repertoires, highlighting how members collectively develop skills, strategies, and confidence to engage in collective action. The chapter explores how “safe spaces” enable participants to share personal stories, reframe lived experiences of illegality, and transform private grievances into public demands. Through shout it out workshops, direct actions, and campaigns, members learn to navigate the risks of disclosure while using storytelling as a tool to gain public visibility. As undocumented youth became incorporated into the organization, they gradually learned how to strategically craft their message in a way that challenges prevailing understandings of deservingness. Once they were ready to “come out of the shadows,” they put their bodies, stories, and emotions on the line during fierce civil disobedience actions. By analyzing IYJL’s role as an activist infrastructure, the chapter underscores how undocumented youth activists transform vulnerabilities into collective strengths in and through self-organizations.