It is _not_ technically correct to call asylum seekers 'illegal immigrants'.
The 1951 UN Refugee Convention (Australia is a signatory) recognises that refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive and whether or not they hold valid travel or identity documents.
http://www.asrc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/it-not-ill...