An Austin man who organized an immigration protest last month petitioned the City Council Monday to do more on the issue.

Samuel Johnson, a member of the National Socialist Movement, told the council during an open comment session that something “needs to be done real soon” with illegal immigration, claiming it has been taking jobs from Austin residents and leading to gang violence.

“We’re trying to solve this problem,” Johnson said of himself and supporters, “but people get too sick of it.”

Mayor Tom Stiehm, along with councilman John Martin, said the city is doing all it can but is ultimately at the mercy of federal laws, which they said are not doing enough.

“We’ve all tried. Trust me,” Martin said. “It’s a federal issue.”

Said Stiehm: “We are aware of the problem … We have to deal with the real facts — the feds dropped the ball.”

Johnson also asked if the city had gone to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible at the federal level. Police chief Paul Philipp said the department is in touch with ICE on a case-by-case basis.

The chief also said it’s untrue that Austin has a gang problem, noting that many youth in town emulate gang activity but are not actually affiliated.

The discussion between Johnson and city officials became heated, but Johnson left when he was done talking and no incident occurred.