Police looking for father of 'Mai'

Police are hunting for the father of an abandoned toddler while the child's mother is being held at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.

The mother of the girl, who is aged about 18 months, only found out that her child had been dumped on the doorstep of a western Sydney home after seeing media reports, a Family and Community Services spokesman said.

"The woman was alerted to the child's whereabouts after seeing media reports," the spokesman said.The doorstep where 'Mai' was found'.China Crew Visa application formThe doorstep where 'Mai' was found."Police are still hunting for the father; he has gone to ground."Fairfax Media understands the girl's parents had been involved in a dispute and the child was in the care of her fatherChina Business Visa application at the time she was dumped outside an Auburn house just before 10pm on Monday.

Auburn police superintendent, Phil Rogerson, said police interviewed the 24-year-old mother after finding her distraught."We found her on the street down the road from the police station. She was very upset so we brought her in."The woman, believed to be from China, was taken into the custody of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection after she was interviewed by police with the help of an interpreter.

It is understood she was detained because of a visa issue.A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the woman was an "unlawful non-citizen".The little girl, dubbed "Mai" by carers, would soon be returned to her mother, she said.

"[The baby] will soon return to the care of her mother in the Sydney Immigration Residential Housing while efforts are made to resolve their immigration status," the spokeswoman said.