Airlines are pushing back against federal authorities intensifying immigration enforcement at U.S. airports. Federal agents are using flight manifests to arrest travelers with lapsed visas, drawing objections over safety and protocol.

In one case on July 25, an ICE officer tried to board a Southwest Airlines flight in Dallas to make an arrest, only to be rebuffed by the airline, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The incident is among at least a half-dozen similar encounters involving Southwest in the past few weeks, a person familiar with the matter said.

Officers at ICE had made occasional arrests at airports over the past year, but the agency has since stepped up enforcement. Top ICE leaders have told officers that they should attempt arrests at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints when possible, but believe the directive hasn't been followed consistently at airports, according to people familiar with the matter.

In recent weeks, officers have broadened their approach to make more arrests near gates and ticket counters at airports from San Francisco to Miami and Kansas City, Mo. ICE made about one to three dozen arrests a day at U.S. airports last month, according to a government official familiar with the data.