Trump admin removes 'Mr Singh' deportation ad following Sikh, Indian-American outrage

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed a controversial social media advertisement featuring a fictional “Mr Singh” after it triggered widespread criticism from Sikh, Hindu and Indian-American groups, who accused the Trump administration of promoting racist and anti-Indian stereotypes.

The AI-generated poster, shared by DHS on September 9, was designed in the style of the Transformers movie franchise and titled “Transformers: Age of Deportations”. It showed Optimus Prime, wearing a DHS patch, confronting a brown, bearded man wearing a head covering.

READ THIS: ‘Would do exactly as I did…’: Donald Trump says he doesn’t regret the Iran war

The poster carried the message: “America for Americans. Get off our roads; you don't know how to drive, Mr Singh.” It also featured the slogan “Self-deport or find out” and urged people to report “illegal aliens on American roads.”

The use of “Singh” drew particular outrage because it is one of the most common surnames among Sikh men. Advocacy organisations argued that the imagery and wording effectively stereotyped Sikhs and Indians as unwanted immigrants and poor drivers.

The Hindu American Foundation described the post as “racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling” and said, “This is a discriminatory post ... we welcome an investigation.” The organisation also tagged Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon and FBI Director Kash Patel while calling for accountability.

ALSO READ: US pauses diversity visa issuance worldwide amid security review: What it means for Indians

The Sikh Coalition also condemned the campaign, saying: “Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are still being targeted and profiled for how we look.” The organisation pointed out that millions of Sikhs in the US have the surname Singh. It said the community remained “fearless” in identifying as Sikh even when portrayed as enemies by the government.

The post was subsequently taken down following the backlash. Its removal came as criticism spread among Indian-American groups, civil rights advocates and political leaders, who described the advertisement as discriminatory and “racist propaganda.”

The controversy has intensified scrutiny of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration-enforcement messaging and raised renewed concerns over racial and religious profiling in official government communications.