DHS posted AI-generated image mocking Sikh truck drivers as 'Mr. Singh,' then deleted it after bipartisan backlash

On September 9, 2026, the official X account of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security posted an AI-generated image styled as a "Transformers" movie poster, pairing a character resembling Optimus Prime against a caricatured, bearded Sikh man wearing a bandanna over his hair. The image was captioned "America for Americans" and "Get off our roads, you don't know how to drive Mr. Singh." DHS said the caricature was meant to depict Harjinder Singh, an Indian national truck driver who has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide charges over a crash the previous year that killed three people in Florida; "Singh," which translates to "lion," is also the most common surname among Sikh men, and DHS released photos of the real Harjinder Singh wearing clothes similar to those on the caricature. The department deleted the post after backlash but left other Transformers-themed posts on its account online.

The image followed a broader DHS campaign against immigrant commercial truck drivers, in which the department has repeatedly singled out Sikh and Indian drivers, who make up roughly a fifth of that industry's workforce. DHS had recently flagged more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-proficiency tests, criticized California for licensing drivers it said lacked sufficient English, and opened a tip line for the public to report suspected undocumented truckers.

An unnamed Homeland Security spokesperson, in an emailed statement, called criticism of the post "nonsensical drivel" and did not respond to a question asking why it had been removed, adding that Harjinder Singh "should never have been in our country" and had been issued a California commercial driver's license. Hasbro, which owns the Transformers franchise, said DHS had used it "without permission" and that the post did "not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro." California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office called the image "disgusting" and "racist propaganda," and Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), whose district includes a large Sikh population, called it "completely unacceptable." The Sikh Coalition noted the post came as the country marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, after which Sikh Americans were targeted in a wave of hate crimes, writing: "We remain fearless in identifying as Sikhs -- even when our government portrays us as enemies."