The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used AI-generated imagery on X to push its campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers, featuring a brown-bearded man with a tagline: “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr Singh.”
“The DHS has now removed the post we called out yesterday. “This is disgusting. We welcome its removal. Three persons were killed in the crash. Megatron is shown seeking 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. “Singhs are Hindu, they are Sikhs, they are American and they drive. “Enforce the law.
However, the DHS posted a video of truck driver Harjinder Singh, who was arrested after an accident caused due to an illegal U-turn last year. 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.
Trump’s government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community,” Newsom’s press office said in a post on X. But when a federal agency uses a racialised caricature of an Indian/Sikh man to make a political point, taking the post down is only the first step,” Hindu American Foundation said. “Indian Americans, Sikhs, Hindus, and South Asians deserve better from their government,” the HAF said. A short video clip in a related post on X shows Megatron, the main antagonist character in the Transformers franchise, negotiating the release of “aliens” — a term used to describe foreign nationals by the US administration. We will defend our home,” the DHS said in a post on X. Racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling by @DHSgov should shock our nation’s collective conscience,” 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. Do not caricature a people. @DHSgov Dangerous drivers come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths and last names,” Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) said. Singling out SOME last names does nothing for safe streets, but it does endanger the safety of hundreds of thousands of Americans with names like Singh and Kumar, the group said.
Those registering for self-deportation can receive travel assistance and an exit bonus of USD 2,600, according to the DHS. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The row comes amid a DHS campaign to promote its CBP Home programme, which allows eligible undocumented migrants to register their intention to leave the United States voluntarily. Singh is a common surname in India and among the Sikhs. Millions of Sikhs in the United States have the last name Singh, which means lion.
“More than 160,000 people in the United States share the surname Singh.
We remain fearless in identifying as Sikhs even when our government portrays us as enemies, the Sikh Coalition said. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi also condemned the social media post of the DHS and said: Our government should never use its power to demonise people or suggest that their faith, heritage, or identity means they do not belong here. When the government demonises a name carried by so many Sikh families, it fuels xenophobia and casts suspicion on an entire community,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr Singh,” the accompanying text said, triggering massive backlash from the Sikh American community. “Trump’s government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community,” Newsom wrote.
Earlier reporting noted: The controversial post showed a bearded man with a bandana facing off with Optimus Prime, a character from the Transformers franchise, depicted with the seal of the Department of Homeland Security on his armor. Earlier reporting noted: California Governor Gavin Newsom called the post ‘disgusting’ before it was deleted.
