CHICAGO (AP) — An ‘element’ of 200 Texas National Guard troops has started protecting federal property in the Chicago area on Wednesday, according to a military spokesperson.

The spokesperson for the U.S. Northern Command spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss operational details not been made public.

The troops had arrived at a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, and had been getting settled Tuesday. The spokesperson wasn’t able to immediately offer details about how the troops were armed.

A lawsuit and Democratic leaders have vigorously fought the deployment, and a hearing is set for Thursday.

President Donald Trump’s administration has an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, and protesters have frequently rallied at the immigration building in Broadview.

Trump has been emphatic in sending the Guard to Democratic-run cities that he argues have a rampant crime crisis, though statistics don’t always back that up.