The U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP) is asking a court to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from dismantling the agency, saying it experienced a “literal trespass and takeover by force” by its personnel.
“On March 17, 2025, the attacks culminated in the literal trespass and takeover by force by Defendants, including representatives of DOGE, of the Institute’s headquarters building on Constitution Avenue. Once physically inside the Institute’s headquarters, DOGE personnel and other representatives of Defendants have plundered the offices in an effort to access and gain control of the Institute’s infrastructure, including sensitive computer systems,” the institute wrote in its court filing.
The institute has asked for a temporary restraining order to “stop Defendants from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute and irreparably impairing Plaintiffs’ ability to perform their vital peace promotion and conflict resolution work as tasked by Congress.”
Photos included with the filing show photos of the office after DOGE’s arrival, with the institute’s financial documents placed in a bin labeled “shred.” Another showed a collection of letters lying on the ground after the advisory board’s staff apparently ripped down a USIP logo from the wall.
Another court filing includes an affidavit from USIP’s chief security officer, describing a scene in which police facilitated the entry of DOGE staff into the institute’s headquarters. On both Friday and Monday, the group’s staff arrived at headquarters alongside FBI agents.
At one point Monday, the firm’s prior private security firm — whose contract was ended after it coordinated with DOGE — also appeared at the building, at one point “proceed[ing] to walk toward the Institute’s gun safe,” pushing USIP staff to ignite its lockdown policy.