Mother fights deportation to Vietnam

A Vietnamese woman and her six-month-old baby will be separated if her deportation challenge in Melbourne's Federal Circuit Court fails.

Huyen Tran, 29, arrived in Australia by boat in 2011 after fleeing persecution in Vietnam.

"She has been in detention now for almost 12 months and our daughter has never been outside the centre," husband Paul Lee said on Monday.

Dozens of protesters rallied outside the court before the hearing to support the family.

"It's very hard as I only see them two hours every day and if Huyen leaves we don't know what will happen," Mr Lee said.

"The worst part is they won't even let us baptise our baby in the church because she's not allowed out of detention."

Labor MP Gavin Marshall and Greens MP Huong Truong both called on the federal government to intervene to prevent the woman's deportation.