Us Sikh advocacy groups slam DHS ‘anti-Indian’ poster invoking Transformers, targeting ‘Mr Singh’
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under fire for a poster urging immigrants to “self-deport,” after critics called out the campaign as racist and anti-Indian. The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s expansive immigration crackdown.
Styled after the “Transformers” film franchise, the poster carries the warning: “Self-deport or find out,” accompanied by the line, “Get off our roads. You don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh.”
The mention of driving stems from a string of truck crashes across the US involving undocumented Indian nationals behind the wheel. In response to these incidents, American authorities tightened regulations around Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) and suspended certain work permits.
‘Racist’ and ‘anti-Indian’
The poster has ignited a fierce online debate, with critics arguing that DHS singled out Indians in a manner that could stoke hostility toward the Indian-American community. The Hindu American Foundation denounced the campaign, describing it as “anti-India profiling” on the part of the department.
“‘Singhs’ are Hindu, they are Sikhs, they are American and they drive. Racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling by @DHSgov should shock our nation’s collective conscience,” the foundation said in a statement posted on X.
The group also called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to examine the poster and launch an inquiry. It further urged Paramount Pictures, which distributes the Transformers franchise, to take note of the campaign’s use of the film’s imagery.
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Alec Nolan, a Fox7 News anchor, joined the criticism, calling the poster “demeaning to anyone with the last name Singh.” Writing on X, he shared: “My grandpa’s name was Dan Singh. His father, Katha Singh, came to America from India decades ago to seek a better life. He became a raisin farmer in California. My grandpa eventually took over the family business and also worked as a truck driver. This post is racist and demeaning to anyone with the last name Singh.”
The row has erupted at a moment when the Trump administration is ramping up immigration enforcement and increasing scrutiny of foreign-born commercial truck drivers, lending particular weight to the DHS campaign’s impact on Indian Americans.
The Sikh Coalition also weighed in on X, stating: “Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are ‘still’ being targeted and profiled for how we look. Millions of Sikhs in the United States have the last name Singh, which means lion. We remain fearless in identifying as Sikhs, even when our government portrays us as enemies.”