The Department of Homeland Security removed a social media post depicting a Sikh truck driver facing off against the fictional character Optimus Prime after the image drew criticism from Sikh American leaders and civil rights advocates.
The AI-generated image, posted to DHS’ official social media accounts, showed a bearded, turbaned man identified as “Mr. Singh” confronting a DHS-branded Optimus Prime. The graphic included the message, “America for Americans. Get off our roads; you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh,” along with the phrase “Self-deport or find out.”
The post was part of a broader DHS campaign encouraging the public to report suspected undocumented drivers and alleged commercial driver’s license fraud.
The imagery quickly became a flashpoint because “Singh” is a common Sikh surname and because the post appeared just before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Sikh Americans faced a wave of hate crimes and discrimination after 9/11, often because people mistakenly associated Sikh religious identity with Islam.
DHS later removed the controversial post. The department said the “Mr. Singh” depicted in the image was specifically intended to represent Harjinder Singh, an Indian truck driver involved in a fatal Florida crash, rather than Sikh truck drivers generally. The department did not provide a detailed explanation for removing the post.
The episode prompted a joint statement from Sikh American state lawmakers, including Washington state Sen. Manka Dhingra.
“As Sikh American state legislators, we are horrified that the official account of the Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov) has weaponized its platform to spread racist stereotypes and anti-Sikh bigotry,” the lawmakers said.
“On the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, a moment of profound national grief for America that also sparked a deadly wave of hate crimes against our communities, it is dangerous for a federal agency to spread vitriol instead of unity.”
The statement was signed by Dhingra, House Minority Leader Ranjeev Singh Puri of Michigan, California Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, Virginia state Delegate JJ Singh, New Jersey Assemblyman Ravi Singh, New Jersey Assemblyman Balvir Singh and Georgia state House candidate Jyot Singh.
The lawmakers also pushed back on the use of the name Singh in the campaign.
“For millions of Sikhs worldwide, “Singh” is not a punchline or a slur. It is a surname carried with pride to signify equality,” they said.
The group called on DHS to apologize.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC also criticized the campaign, saying that encouraging people to report drivers based on suspected immigration status could invite profiling.
Sim Singh Attariwala, director of the organization’s Anti-Hate Program, said: “This is not just about immigrant truck drivers. When the government encourages people to report on others based on assumptions about who belongs, everyone on the road becomes more vulnerable to profiling and escalations of hate-fueled violence. Sikh Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Muslims, Arabs, and other communities that have long been targeted by bias may face the greatest impact.”
The controversy also drew attention from Hasbro, which owns the Transformers franchise. The company said it had not authorized DHS to use its characters.
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