Australia gets tough on asylum seekers

So does Australia have it right? Put asylum seekers who arrive in Australian waters by boat to remote islands while they await action on their asylum cases?
What does the U.S. do with Haitian boat people? We don't even give them a chance to claim asylum: as long as they are apprehended before they touch U.S. soil (beaches or bridges for example) we send them right back to Haiti.
There are problems with the asylum process in many developing countries because short of immigrating on a family, employment or diversity visa -- people who are very poor often cannot secure legal passage to these countries. So they either arrive ilegally or they claim asylum status.
What is the solution?
Surely not putting them on islands or back on boats?