The US government's giant humanitarian agency closed its headquarters to staff Monday amid moves by Elon Musk, the world's richest person and President Donald Trump's controversial aide, to seize control in actions decried by critics as "plain illegal."

Workers at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were told to stay out of its Washington office after its website went dark over the weekend, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing Monday it would come under his control.

Rubio said in a statement the agency had "long strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad" and that he was launching a review of its activities ahead of a "potential reorganization."

But there was widespread confusion, as some 600 staffers found themselves locked out of their computer systems, ABC News reported.

Democrats were denied entry to the public lobby of the agency's headquarters by police blocking the doors as they joined around 50 demonstrators brandishing banners demanding: "Save USAID, save lives."

They blasted Trump for handing administration policy to an unelected tycoon who has undergone........

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