The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a warning that airport closures may be on the horizon nationwide, as the ongoing government shutdown has resulted in unprecedented security wait times.

In recent weeks, the situation at airports has become increasingly critical. Over 480 TSA officers have either resigned or called in sick, primarily due to the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has left them without pay.

During a session on Wednesday, marking the 40th day of the shutdown, TSA’s acting administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, informed the House Homeland Security Committee that the agency faces a tough decision. Smaller airports might need to close as part of a forced consolidation effort.

“We’re dealing with a fluid, challenging, and unpredictable scenario,” McNeill stated before Congress. “We recognize this is frustrating and disruptive, and it is simply unacceptable.”

Travelers have been strongly advised to arrive at airports well over two hours in advance. Security lines have slowed down significantly, with wait times averaging around 270 minutes at some of the nation’s busiest airports.

Airports nationwide are experiencing surging callout rates higher than 40 percent among TSA employees, McNeil said. 

Nearly 50 percent of staff at Houston’s Hobby Airport called off Monday, leaving fewer employees to help control the swell of travel mayhem. 

Senators are currently chasing a deal that would fund much of DHS, including TSA agents. 

Airports across the country could soon close due to the chaos and lack of employees from the government shutdown

TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Homeland Security Committee that the agency is now ‘being forced to consolidate’ during a hearing on Wednesday

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump had Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents descend on some of the busiest airports in the US on Monday. 

The federal agents are still getting paid. 

According to the White House, the agents have helped decrease airport wait times in recent days, but did not specify how that’s been done. 

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the agents’ presence ‘is yielding results’, and that the Trump administration has ‘seen wait times decrease, not as much as we’d like.’ 

By midday Wednesday, New York’s LaGuardia Airport saw a line that virtually extended the entire length of Terminal B, the Associated Press reported. 

While many are experiencing lengthy wait times, and even flight delays and cancellations, other travelers have reported having a breeze of a time getting through their travels. 

On Tuesday, Rod Redcay got to the Philadelphia airport two hours early and said he ‘walked right up’ to the security checkpoint. 

‘The only snag was forgetting to grab my laptop at security! Only noticed when I got to the gate. Thankfully I had plenty of time to look for it,’ Redcay wrote on Facebook. 

President Donald Trump had Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents descend on some of the busiest airports in the US on Monday

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the agents’ presence ‘is yielding results’, and that the Trump administration has ‘seen wait times decrease, not as much as we’d like’ 

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are known as the least busy travel days at airports, offering less hassle and lower fares. 

The wave of flight chaos has gotten so severe that travelers are reporting suffering health-related symptoms while on long lines, with one suffering a panic attack while stuck underground in a TSA line at a Houston airport. 

When Meg Lauck entered the TSA line at George W. Bush airport on Tuesday, the sea of people curled up to three floors deep and flowed back all the way into the basement, something she referred to as a ‘hellhole.’ 

‘I’m sorry, it’s really bad. We’re underground,’ she told ABC 13. ‘I have some claustrophobia. This is not pleasant.’ 

The experience left her so traumatized that she was forced to leave the airport and rent a car to drive back to New Orleans, Louisiana, Lauck said. 

Fliers in Houston are facing some of the longest TSA lines in the country, with travelers waiting around for more than two hours in Terminal A and E on Wednesday, KHOU 11 reported. 

The airport has faced a high number of callouts, with 36 percent of TSA staff not coming in for their shifts.  

A model and social media influencer from Los Angeles is embroiled in legal trouble, facing several felony accusations for allegedly using dating applications as a means to burglarize elderly individuals’ homes, as reported by prosecutors.

Adva Lavie, aged 27 and known by the alias Mia Ventura, is a former Penthouse model accused of masquerading as a girlfriend and travel partner to gain access to her targets’ residences. Once inside, she allegedly stole cash, gold, and luxury designer items, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. In addition, some media outlets have identified her as an OnlyFans model.

Authorities claim Lavie, who reportedly drove luxury vehicles such as a Mercedes and a Porsche, focused her criminal activities on affluent older men and younger women in areas including Westlake Village, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills.

Images show Adva Lavie, also known as Mia Ventura, attending events like Teatro Live Powered By Lemon Soda Music at AVALON Hollywood on January 29, 2025, and the 2021 Maxim Halloween party at Hyde Nightclub on October 31, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images for TEATRO Live | Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)

Lavie has previously entered a plea of not guilty and is set for arraignment on April 6. Presently, she is out of custody, monitored by an ankle bracelet, and has been instructed to avoid contact with her alleged victims.

Prosecutors said Lavie carried out the scheme between 2023 and 2025, allegedly using dating apps to cultivate relationships with victims before gaining access to their homes.

Lavie was held to answer on March 23 on six felony counts, including two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, two counts of grand theft and two counts of first-degree residential burglary.

Left, Adva Lavie, also known as Mia Ventura, attends the 2021 Maxim Halloween party Produced by MADE Specia at Hyde Nightclub on Oct. 31, 2021 in Los Angeles. Center, Lavie attends the Teatro Live Powered By Lemon Soda Music at AVALON Hollywood on Jan. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. Right, She attends the Teatro’s Golden Soirée Pre-Oscar’s Gala on March 9, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images for TEATRO Live; Paul Archuleta/Getty Images for Teatro)

If convicted on all counts, Lavie faces up to 11 years and eight months in state prison.

“This ruling means the evidence in this case will now be presented before a jury,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

“At her trial, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant exploited trust built through online relationships to gain access to victims’ homes and steal from them. Her ability to deceptively influence others, whether in person or online, has now come to an end,” Hochman said.

Adva Lavie, also known as Mia Ventura, is shown in a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department special bulletin alongside vehicles authorities said were linked to a residential burglary series targeting victims through dating apps. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

In an October special bulletin, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released a poster of Lavie along with images of the high-end cars authorities said she drove. The vehicles include a white Mercedes-Benz coupe sports car and a black Porsche SUV.

Michael Sartain, host of the podcast “Access Vegas,” said that while a guest on the show, Lavie went into the greenroom and stole credit cards and cash from the purses of all the female panelists, according to KTLA.

“She got up at the 45-minute mark, and she was gone for 45 minutes and just went through everyone’s bag,” he said.