"Under an immigration law passed in 1996, asylum seekers must wait 180 days before even applying for a work permit. In practice, the law has forced immigrants to scrounge for off-the-books jobs as food delivery workers or restaurant dishwashers or else live off meager government and charitable assistance."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/26/nyregion/migrant-crisis-holocaust-refugee.html