WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed an AI-generated social media advertisement that featured a turbaned, bearded man identified as “Mr Singh” and urged him to “self-deport,” following criticism from Sikh, Hindu and Indian-American organisations, lawmakers and others over the imagery and language used in the campaign.
The poster was published on DHS’s official X account on September 9, 2026, as part of the department’s wider immigration-enforcement messaging concerning commercial truck drivers and people it says are unlawfully present or improperly licensed in the United States. The graphic was designed around the Transformers franchise and showed a DHS-branded version of Optimus Prime confronting a brown-skinned, bearded man wearing a head covering. It carried the wording, “America for Americans. Get off our roads; you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh,” alongside the message “Self-deport or find out.”
The post was subsequently removed by DHS. The department later said that the “Mr Singh” character was intended to represent Harjinder Singh, the truck driver accused in connection with a fatal Florida Turnpike crash in August 2025. That clarification came after the image was widely interpreted as portraying Sikh or Indian truck drivers as a group.
DHS Links Poster to Harjinder Singh Florida Crash
The controversy is connected to the Trump administration’s broader campaign against commercial drivers whom federal authorities consider improperly licensed or otherwise in violation of U.S. immigration or transportation requirements.
Harjinder Singh, 28, was involved in a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce on August 12, 2025. According to Florida Highway Patrol investigators, Singh attempted a U-turn in a semi-truck at an area designated for official use, resulting in a collision with a minivan. Three people in the minivan were killed. Singh was subsequently charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and later faced additional manslaughter charges.
Authorities also said Singh was unlawfully present in the United States at the time of the crash and had obtained commercial driving credentials in California. The circumstances surrounding his licensing became part of a wider political and regulatory dispute over the eligibility of non-citizens to obtain commercial driver’s licences and the enforcement of federal standards governing commercial drivers. The DHS campaign referenced Singh alongside other cases involving commercial drivers. A separate AI-generated video posted by the department included the names of Harjinder Singh, Rajinder Kumar, Bekzhan Beishekeev, Akhror Bozorov and Jasveer Singh in connection with accidents or other incidents cited by the administration.
The department’s subsequent explanation is significant because it indicates that the poster was not officially intended to represent every Sikh or Indian truck driver. However, the graphic itself used the surname “Singh” together with a visual depiction strongly associated by many viewers with Sikh identity, including facial hair and a head covering. That combination became the central point of criticism from community organisations.
DHS also defended its broader enforcement campaign when politicians criticised the advertisement. In responses to critics, the department referred to commercial driving licences issued by states and maintained that its campaign was directed at immigration and public-safety enforcement rather than at a particular religious community.
Sikh and Hindu Groups Condemn Use of ‘Mr Singh’
The use of “Mr Singh” prompted strong reactions from Sikh and Hindu advocacy organisations in the United States.
The Sikh Coalition criticised the imagery and said the campaign reinforced concerns about Sikh Americans being judged or targeted because of their appearance. The organisation noted that Singh is a widely used surname among Sikhs and said millions of Sikhs carry the name.
The Hindu American Foundation also condemned the post and described it as racial and religious profiling. The organisation pointed out that the surname Singh is not exclusive to Sikhs and is also used by Hindus. It called for scrutiny of the federal agency’s use of racialised imagery in an official campaign. Other Hindu and Indian-American organisations also objected to the advertisement. The Coalition of Hindus of North America argued that enforcement should focus on individual violations rather than associating particular surnames or communities with unsafe driving or unlawful immigration status.
The criticism was also taken up by members of Congress and other U.S. political figures. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said government agencies should not use a person’s faith, heritage or identity to suggest that they do not belong in the United States. Other Democratic lawmakers and officials, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Adam Schiff, also criticised the campaign. DHS responded to several of its political critics through its own social media accounts.
The controversy has also been viewed against the history of discrimination experienced by Sikh Americans after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Sikh organisations have repeatedly documented cases in which Sikhs were targeted because of their turbans, beards or perceived association with Islam. The current dispute has therefore extended beyond the individual poster to concerns about how federal immigration messaging portrays minority communities.
Hasbro Objects to Transformers Imagery as DHS Removes Post
A separate issue arose over DHS’s use of imagery based on Transformers, including Optimus Prime.
The poster and related social media material portrayed a DHS-branded version of the well-known character in an immigration-enforcement setting. The campaign used the title “Transformers: Age of Deportations,” a reference to the Transformers film Age of Extinction.
Hasbro, which owns the Transformers brand, subsequently said it had not authorised the use of Optimus Prime in the DHS material. The company stated that it was not involved in the campaign and objected to the use of its intellectual property in the government’s messaging. Hasbro also described Optimus Prime as a character associated with qualities including leadership, compassion and justice.
The use of the character therefore raised a separate intellectual-property issue from the criticism over the “Mr Singh” imagery. The available reporting does not establish that Hasbro granted DHS a licence or other permission to use the character in the campaign.
The removal of the “Mr Singh” post came after the combined criticism from advocacy organisations, lawmakers and others. DHS did not issue a public apology alongside the removal, and the department continued its broader immigration-enforcement messaging concerning commercial drivers and voluntary departure from the United States. The campaign is also linked to the administration’s promotion of the CBP Home programme, which allows certain eligible individuals without lawful status to register their intention to leave the United States voluntarily. The programme has included government-provided travel assistance and an exit incentive.
The dispute over the DHS poster consequently involves several separate issues, federal immigration enforcement, commercial-driver licensing and road safety, the use of AI-generated government communications, concerns raised by Sikh and Hindu organisations over ethnic and religious stereotyping, and the unauthorised use of entertainment intellectual property.
DHS has removed the disputed “Mr Singh” advertisement, while maintaining its broader enforcement campaign. The department’s explanation that the image referred specifically to Harjinder Singh has not ended criticism from community organisations, which have continued to question the decision to use a Sikh-associated name and appearance in official federal messaging.
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