As Inauguration Day approaches, it’s clear President-elect Trump believes he has a mandate to enact policies that will cause the largest wave of deportations in US history. What happens next could forever change what it means to be an American.

Immigration under President Joe Biden has soared to levels not seen in more than a century, with an estimated net increase of 8 million immigrants during his four years in office, the majority crossing illegally, according to a Goldman Sachs report.

Biden was determined to reverse the harsh Trump 1.0 policies that restricted both legal and illegal immigration. But Biden never framed this important issue with arguments for the average American. There was never a “Biden doctrine” explaining to Americans why he believed more immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers could benefit America. Ultimately, after Trump rejected a bipartisan immigration reform bill, Biden unilaterally reinstated tighter restrictions on the southern border, but it was too late to save his candidacy or that of Kamala Harris.

The US now has the highest number of foreign-born immigrants at over 15%, while borders are seen as more vulnerable than secure. At the same time, the electorate has proven susceptible to Trump’s divisive, demonizing rhetoric.

Now that Trump is ready to implement his flagship proclamation, the actions that follow are expected to be swift and harsh. In particular, the following five:

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798

There’s a reason Trump and his campaign associates repeatedly described immigrants as “invaders” and border crossings as an “invasion.” He has said he will use the Alien Enemy Act to “deport from the US all known or suspected gang members, drug traffickers or cartel members.”

The law has so far only been used in wartime, and Trump’s invocation of it is sure to create a legal challenge. But the Brennan Center for Justice has warned that the interpretation of the law is so broad that “a president can use it in peacetime in the context of criminal and immigration law.”

Trump has also vowed to use the military and local law enforcement if necessary. There are prohibitions on this as well, but could a conservative court uphold such an order.

Workplace raids

Tom Homan, Trump’s nominee for “border czar” and former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has pledged to bring back workplace raids. Once a staple of anti-immigration enforcement under previous administrations, workplace raids have been ended by the Biden administration. The workplace inspections have upset employers and struck fear into immigrant communities, but Homan said that message needs to be sent.

He has said that he will start from Chicago, which is characterized as the Mecca of immigrants, but also a city of refuge. Homan recently told a group of citizens in the state that “if the mayor of Chicago doesn’t want to help, he can step aside. But if he obstructs us, if he knowingly harbors an illegal, I will initiate prosecution against him.” Homan has already met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, who pledged his cooperation despite his city’s laws.

Citizenship at birth

Trump has said he intends to overturn one of America’s most fundamental principles that says “that no matter where your parents are from, if you’re born here, you’re an American. It is a principle specifically enshrined in the 14th Amendment.”

No president can override the Constitution by executive order. Trump, however, could create chaos by ordering the government to stop issuing Social Security numbers and passports to offspring of parents who cannot prove their legal status.

Programs for refugees

Biden reduced illegal border crossings in part by expanding programs that allowed legal ones, including humanitarian releases. But the outgoing president said he would not renew those permits for the more than half a million immigrants who came from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua during his time in office.

Trump has called Biden’s policy an “outrageous abuse of parole” and is seeking to end it. He may also seek to end or severely limit Temporary Protected Status, which protects more than 800,000 immigrants from certain countries from deportation.

the “dreamers”

The only evidence Trump showed of possible protectionist action was for Dreamers. These are those who were brought into the country illegally as children, many of whom have grown old expecting little more than temporary protection in the only homeland they have ever known. But how true is this? It depends on Trump, whose messages are mixed. He had also given a similar promise in his first term.

Hardliners in Congress have already expressed reservations about further measures to protect Dreamers, whose status is based on a 2012 Obama executive order called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The decree provided a temporary shield against deportation and work permits.

It should be clear to even the biggest doubters that Trump intends to follow through on his decade-long promises to crack down on immigration. This time he even has a ready team with experience and a conservative Supreme Court. These could make all the difference.

Patricia Lopez is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics