Members of the Texas National Guard are using a training site south of Joliet to prepare to be deployed in Chicago.

Military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, The Associated Press reported.

Will County officials later on Tuesday afternoon confirmed the Texas Guard members were at the Elwood site.

Shaw Local News Network tried to get confirmation from the Illinois National Guard, but the public affairs office referred all calls and inquiries to the U.S. Department of War.

The Department of War responded with this emailed statement: “200 federalized Texas National Guard troops, mobilized under 10 U.S.C. 12406, arrived in Illinois in support of the Federal Protection Mission to protecting federal functions, personnel and property. The National Guardsmen were mobilized for an initial period of 60 days. ”

Additionally, mission updates on the Federal Protection Mission can be found at www.northcom.mil/Missions/Homeland-Defense/Federal-Protection-Mission/, according to the department.

“USNORTHCOM is the mission lead and updates to the Federal Protection Mission will post on this site when they are available,” according to the statement.

“The safety and well-being of our community remain our highest priority. While we have not received any official communication from federal authorities, we are aware of increased activity at the Joliet Local Training Area on Arsenal Road,” according a news release from The Will County Sheriff’s Office.

“At this time, the information we have has been shared by local partners. Should additional or verified details become available, the Will County Sheriff’s Office will promptly issue an update. We remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of all community members throughout Will County," according to the sheriff’s office.

Gov. JB Pritzker did not offer any confirmation on the troop’s arrival, according to The Associated Press. But he has said the Illinois National Guard troops would be activated, along with 400 from Texas.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant issued a statement saying county officials were made aware by the state of Illinois and the village of Elwood of the Texas National Guard soldiers at the training facility.

“We have received no information or coordination from the federal government about this deployment, including the scale of operations or the length of time they will be stationed at this facility. The arrival of the National Guard by the Trump Administration is an aggressive overreach. Our federal government moving armed troops into our community should be alarming to everyone,” Bertino-Tarrant said.

“I will be coordinating with local leaders to make sure we are doing everything in our power to protect the rights of our residents and the safety of everyone. Hopefully, the federal court hearing on Thursday will end this attack on our community,” according to Bertino-Tarrant’s statement.

State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, said, “This ineffective plan does not address any of the real issues the residents of the 86th district are facing. Higher prices for everything from groceries to electricity. A job market that has slowed to a crawl. An energy grid that is struggling to keep up with demand.”

He called the deployment of the National Guard “political theater” and instead called for reopening the federal government to have “a serious conversation about energy policy to bring electricity rates down for everyone. This administration could even come together and negotiate with congress to actually fix our immigration system. All of these are better ideas than what we are now witnessing. ”

Sgt. Dwayne English, public affairs officer for the Joliet Police Department, said, “Joliet city officials were notified that members of the National Guard are expected to be stationed at a U.S. Army Reserve Center located in Elwood. This location is not within Joliet city limits. At this time, the city of Joliet does not have any additional information regarding their presence or operations.

“Our commitment to providing the highest level of public safety to the citizens of Joliet remains unchanged, even as this situation continues to develop.”

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, said there was no “imminent need” for the Texas National Guard to be in Illinois and that military personnel “have a unique skill set that is not meant to enforce civil immigration law nor police communities.”

“Joliet should not be responsible for housing the unconstitutional deployment of federal troops,” she added. “It’s vital the courts remain fair and focused, doing what is right by the people of our great state. I urge everyone in our community to remain calm and resist this effort in a peaceful manner.”

The activity at the site drew at least one protestor to come out.

Erin Gallagher, a Will County resident an activist who did not want to give her town of residence, call the guard deployment a “distraction from the shut down” by the Trump administration.

“We can’t be distracted by the absurdity of using our cities as target practice as Donald Trump suggested. We should be taking the advice of Pope Leo. We need to love each other and take care of our neighbors, and that includes immigrants,” she said, adding, “I’m a proud supporter of the Chicago Police Department and I believe we need to let them do their jobs.”

Fencing was being erected around the perimeter of the training facility property by mid-afternoon.

The Illinois National Guard Armory at 2900 W. Jefferson St. in Joliet is apparently not being used in the operations. A man who answered the door said the building is used for recruiting.

Shaw Local News reporter Eric Schelkopf contributed to this story.