New Delhi, 10 September—In an yet another insult of India and Indians, US President Donald Trump’s US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has hurled a racial bomb at the Modi government by issuing an advertisement featuring a brown-bearded man identified as “Mr Singh”, with advocacy groups accusing the agency of racist and anti-American profiling.
The DHS has sparked a controversy with a social media poster promoting the Trump administration’s self-deportation campaign, with critics accusing the department of using racist and anti-Indian messaging.
The poster, shared amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, carries the warning “Self-deport or find out” and features a reference to the Transformers franchise.
It also includes the line: “Get off our roads. You don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh.”
Poster coming at a time when the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win the coming assembly elections in Punjab to come to power where the saffron party has till now not been able to capture power on its own.
The reference to the surname Singh has drawn criticism from Indian-American and Sikh groups, who say the messaging unfairly stereotypes people of South Asian origin.
The DHS used AI-generated imagery on X as part of its campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers, featuring a brown-bearded man alongside the message: “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr Singh.”
A related video uses Megatron, the main antagonist from the ‘Transformers’ franchise, to depict an attempt to negotiate the release of truck drivers Harjinder Singh, Rajinder Kumar, Bekzhan Beishekeev, Akhror Bozorov and Jasveer Singh, who were involved in road accidents and other crimes.
“If you approach this nation with hostile intent, know this. We will defend ourselves. We will defend Americanism. We will defend our home,” the DHS said in a post on X.
Another DHS post features Optimus Prime, the main protagonist in the ‘Transformers’ franchise, wearing a DHS arm patch and confronting the brown-bearded man with the message: “Self-deport or find out”.
The use of the surname “Singh” in the advertisement drew criticism from advocacy organisations, including the Hindu American Foundation and Sikh Coalition.
“‘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 Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a post on X.
“This is a discriminatory post by a federal agency that is far beyond political messaging, and we welcome an investigation,” the HAF said, tagging Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The Sikh Coalition also accused the US government of continuing to target Sikhs based on their appearance.
“Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are *still* being targeted and profiled for how we look,” the Sikh Coalition said in a post on X.
“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,” the Sikh Coalition said.
The controversy comes amid a broader DHS campaign promoting its CBP Home programme, which allows eligible undocumented migrants to register their intention to voluntarily leave the United States.
Under the programme, migrants who register for self-deportation can receive travel assistance and an exit bonus of USD 2,600, according to the DHS.
Taking note of the obnoxious poster, the BJP losing no time took strong exception to the poster, saying several enterprising Sikhs have enriched America with their skills and resilience.
In its wisdom, the BJU fielded its Sikh spokesperson R P Singh, who in a statement addressed to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, strongly objected to the use of Sikh identity and the surname “Singh” as a caricature in an official US government deportation campaign.
“America has every right to enforce its immigration laws and take action against illegal immigration. But enforcement must never become an excuse for racial, ethnic or religious stereotyping,” Singh said.
He asked whether the US had forgotten Dr Narinder Singh Kapany, the pioneer of fibre optics; Dalip Singh Saund, the first Sikh and first Asian-American elected to the US Congress; and Bhagat Singh Thind, the Sikh US Army soldier who fought for citizenship and religious freedom.
Sikhs did not come to America merely to drive trucks. We came as scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs, soldiers, public servants and nation-builders. For more than a century, Sikhs have contributed to America’s economy, scientific advancement, agriculture, armed forces and public life,” the BJP leader said, speaking for the ruling party.
Against the backdrop of Sikh contributions to America, Singh said, the US government campaign depicting a Sikh man and using “Mr Singh” as a stereotype was deeply offensive.
“It insults not merely one individual, but a proud community whose members have worked, served and sacrificed for America.
“Enforce immigration law by all means, but do it with dignity, fairness and respect. Sikh identity must never be turned into a punchline,” Singh said.
Tagging Gor on X, Singh urged the ambassador to convey the strong sentiments of the Sikh community in India and around the world to the concerned authorities in Washington.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
