Hundreds gather for 'Hands Off Community Picnic'

AUSTIN, Texas - Hundreds of people gathered on the Texas Capitol lawn Saturday for a protest dubbed the "Hands Off Austin Community Picnic", once again protesting the Trump administration. 

"We believe that, yes, it is important to protest, but it's also important to connect with your community and connect with other communities," said Melody Trimolo, who helped organize the Austin demonstration. 

The crowd spoke out against the policies of President Donald Trump—from cuts being made by the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk, to concerns over LGBTQ rights, to the administration's actions on immigration. 

"These are real people that are being deported, that their visas are being revoked," said Trimolo. "We need to recognize that these are people and that they have rights to due process too."

Saturday's demonstration follows the big Hands Off protest at the Texas Capitol two weeks ago, and it's among dozens of other similar events happening across the country at the same time—from New York to Washington D.C.

But the Trump administration continues to defend its actions, pointing out DOGE has found and stopped waste throughout the government.