It seems that Donald Trump’s fervid call for mass deportations, which he issued in a blistering anti-immigration speech in September, was one of the campaign promises he meant literally, not figuratively. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security released two memos setting the stage for a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration nationwide, turning the president’s ominous campaign threats and vague executive orders into a detailed plan to arrest, detain, and ultimately remove large numbers of undocumented immigrants from American soil.

Together, the two memos constitute a radical change to U.S. immigration policy, laying the groundwork for widespread mass deportations by expanding the latitude given to federal immigration agents, galvanizing local law enforcement officers to participate in the effort, and broadening the scope of the definition of “removable alien.”

“Under this executive order, ICE will not exempt classes or categories of removal aliens from potential enforcement,” according to a fact sheet released by D.H.S. “All of those present in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention, and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.”

The new Trump policy represents a wholesale rejection of the approach taken by President Barack Obama, who directed Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize the deportation of undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes. Instead, D.H.S. will now allow immigration and law enforcement officers to target any undocumented immigrants convicted of any criminal offense—no matter how minor. That includes immigrants who “have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits,” The New York Times reports. While it is not expected to apply to “Dreamers” formerly protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the new policy opens up millions of people to the threat of deportation, no matter how long they have lived in the country or whether their children are native-born.

It was unclear how broadly the immediate impacts of the new rules might be felt. On a background call with members of the media, one D.H.S. official reportedly said that immigrants with serious crimes on their rap sheets would still be at the top of the list for deportations, but added that just about anyone could become a target. “The fact that you’re not a priority does not exempt you from the potential of enforcement,” the official said, according to Politico. “I would just say that, realistically speaking, there are obvious limits to what we can and can’t do on a daily basis.”

During Tuesday’s White House press briefing, press secretary Sean Spicer made a similar point, suggesting that the administration remains focused on the worst offenders, but is not limiting itself. “The message from this White House and from the D.H.S. is those people who are in this country and pose a threat to our public safety or have committed a crime will be the first to go and we will aggressively be making sure that that occurs. That is what the priority is,” he said. Spicer also pushed back on the narrative that the new rules would lead to mass deportations, explaining that the administration is simply executing the laws already on the books, and that only about 1 million people fit the criteria for aggressive deportation action.

While Spicer insisted that the president merely wanted to “take the shackles off” law enforcement, the actual policy outlined by the White House is far more wide-reaching. The memos kick-start the hiring of 10,000 new immigration and customs agents, and expands the number of detention centers in the U.S. They revitalize the 287(g) program—which was curtailed under President Obama—that taps local police officers to aid with deportation efforts, effectively deputizing them as federal immigration agents. And while ICE previously employed expedited removal only for undocumented immigrants who had been in the country for less than two weeks and were caught within 100 miles of the border, the Trump administration will now target anyone, anywhere, who has been in the country for less than two years.

With approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, it is practically impossible for the federal government to apprehend everyone in violation of the law. Still, the new enforcement priorities are likely to send fear through immigrant communities even as they are cheered by Trump’s most ardent supporters.

“We are bracing ourselves for increased raids, increased detention of our family members, of our community members,” Marielena Hincapié, the executive director of National Immigration Law Center, told NBC News.

Meanwhile Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates restricting immigration, was celebratory. “The message is: The immigration law is back in business,” he told the Times. “That violating immigration law is no longer a secondary offense.”

This article has been updated.