ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) — National Guard troops are positioned outside Chicago and could also be in Memphis by Friday, as President Donald Trump's administration pushes ahead with an aggressive policy toward big-city crime — whether local leaders support it or not .

Troops’ presence at an Illinois Army Reserve center came despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Their exact mission was not clear, but the Trump administration launched an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city last month and protestors have frequently rallied at an immigration building in nearby Broadview.

Trump has called Chicago a “hellhole” of crime despite police statistics showing significant drops in crime, including homicides.

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