The federal government is looking to send additional agents to Chicago in an effort to "beef up" the federal presence there, CNN reported Friday, citing two law enforcement officials.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is reportedly looking to send approximately 20 agents to the city to form a new task force focused on gun violence.

President Trump threatened last week to "send in the feds" if Chicago didn't move to "fix the horrible 'carnage' going on" in the city, something he reiterated at the White House this week.

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An official told CNN that the ATF plan has been in the works for some time and wasn't in response to Trump's comments, but another official couldn't say for sure that they weren't linked.

CNN noted that the increase in agents would significantly boost the current force in Chicago, which is at more than 40 agents.

"If they're not going to solve the problem ... then we're going to solve the problem for them because we're going to have to do something about Chicago," Trump said Wednesday.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) has welcomed federal help and this week called on Trump to "send more FBI, DEA, ATF agents."

"We don’t have to talk about it anymore. Just send them,” Emanuel said, according to a local CBS affiliate.