The toddler was brought to the police station where the man, John Manna, was being held, but the two were not allowed to meet. The girl was placed in a group home run by the Haifa welfare services, while Manna was placed in custody at the Ma'asiyahu Prison in Ramle.

According to Hotline for Immigrant Workers, Manna was arrested after leaving church services on Sunday. The police ignored his pleas to be permitted to pick up his daughter from her babysitter. Hotline workers say the police have arrested dozens of single parents in the past few years because they have deportation quotas to fill.

The Immigration Police claim that at an Interior Ministry hearing, Manna had said his wife and child lived in Bnei Brak and had not said that he was the sole caregiver for his daughter.

"We have no interest in separating a father and daughter," Immigration Police spokeswoman Orit Friedman said, adding that if the mother came to the police, she would be given the child and would not be deported, since there is no policy of deporting families with children. If the mother does not show up, Manna and his daughter will be deported within several days.

Friedman said that Manna had been arrested previously and had been released with a directive to leave the country. His wife is a Filipina.