‘Cant’ drive, Mr Singh’: US Department of Homeland Security poster sparks racism row

An AI-generated poster shared by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has drawn widespread criticism for using the phrase “Get off our roads; you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh,” with critics accusing the agency of racial stereotyping against Indian and Sikh communities.

The graphic, posted on the official DHS X account on September 9, was styled as a parody of the Transformers movie franchise under the title 'Transformers: Age of Deportations'. It depicted Optimus Prime, bearing a DHS insignia, confronting a brown-skinned, bearded man wearing a head covering.

The accompanying text read: “America for Americans. Get off our roads; you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh.” It also carried the campaign slogan “Self-deport or find out” and urged the public to report “illegal aliens on American roads.” The poster forms part of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement drive, which encourages undocumented immigrants to leave the country voluntarily.

DHS has framed the messaging around concerns over commercial drivers, referencing recent fatal crashes in which some Indian-origin truck drivers were involved. The use of the surname “Singh” has triggered strong backlash as Sikh and Punjabi Americans form a substantial part of the US trucking industry.

Advocacy groups argued that the poster unfairly targets an entire community rather than specific individuals involved in violations. The Hindu American Foundation condemned the post as “racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling,” stating: “Singhs are Hindu, they are Sikhs, they are American and they drive.” The Sikh Coalition also criticised it, noting that millions of Sikhs in the United States carry the surname and have long contributed to the country.

Michigan Democratic leader Ranjeev Puri and Fox 7 anchor Alec Nolan described the messaging as demeaning and highlighted personal and family histories of service and trucking work. DHS has not issued a detailed response beyond the original campaign messaging.