Chicago, Illinois - Five hundred US troops deployed in the Chicago area on Thursday as part of President Donald Trump's authoritarian takeover of the city, with local leaders seeking a judge's order to block the mobilization.

District Judge April Perry was set to hold a hearing on the issue, a day after Trump called for jailing the Democratic governor of Illinois and mayor of Chicago for resisting his military-backed mass deportation campaign.

The Trump administration has been painting Democratic-led cities in lurid terms, calling them "war zones" due to resistance to his attacks on immigrant communities and political opponents.

A notorious ICE facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview "has been the target of actual and threatened violence," requiring "assistance from the Department of War," it said in a court filing late Wednesday.

Pete Hegseth Hegseth dons fatigues and assault rifle during "day in the office" with US military

National Guard troops were seen entering the Broadview facility overnight, local media reported Thursday.

Some 300 Illinois National Guard troops joined a 200-strong contingent from Texas, the US Army Northern Command said in a statement Wednesday evening. They have been mobilized for an initial period of 60 days.

Perry's decision will be closely followed, as Trump has said he could invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act if courts or local officials are "holding us up."

The Republican has been accused of unchecked authoritarianism, while violent raids by armed and masked federal agents have sparked allegations of rights abuses and illegal detentions.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, seen as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2028 presidential election, called Trump "unhinged" in a response to the 79-year-old's unprecedented threats.

"He's a wannabe dictator. And there's one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump: if you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me," Pritzker said Wednesday.