At Beeston Hill United Free Church on Sunday friends and family sang Happy Birthday.

But behind the smiles lay a nightmare.

Four years after they made a home here, Betty and mum Elsa Temesgen are waiting to find out if they are to be sent back to Ethiopia as the High Court considers an appeal against deportation.

Betty told the YEP the good wishes meant a lot to her: "We have settled in well, we have got church and friends and family and everything's going fine, apart from the detention centre."
In January, Betty and her mum were seized for the second time in an early-morning raid at their flat in Cottingley before being taken to Yarlswood detention centre in Bedfordshire.

They were to be flown to Ethiopia, but the deportation was suspended when their solicitor applied for a judicial review and they were allowed home.

A petition was launched and Leeds Central Labour MP Hilary Benn was urgedto intervene.

Mr Benn is still on board and friends continue to campaign.

Carolina Albuerne, from Leeds asylum counselling charity Solace, said: "We have a request for a judicial review to appeal against the decision to refuse asylum.

"We want them to be granted refugee status."

Ms Temsgen is Eritrean. She married an Ethiopian.

Thousands of civilians have been "ethnically cleansed" as the two countries fought.

Ms Temesgen fled to Britain with Betty and sought asylum. She says they will be persecuted if they go back. She will have to return to Eritrea and Betty to Ethiopia.