Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Even as the United States’ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed the Transformers-style advertisement asking “Mr Singh” to self-deport, the Congress on Friday slammed the concerned US department for the “insult to all Indians” and questioned why there had been no strong public rebuttal from the Narendra Modi government on the issue.
The US DHS removed the advertisement on Thursday following backlash from Indian-American groups and Democratic leaders who described it as “racist propaganda.” The DHS had used AI-generated imagery on X to push its campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers, featuring a brown-bearded man with a tagline: “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh.”
The advertisement sparked off a strong push back from Indian-American and Sikh advocacy groups and also got support from Democratic leaders such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. “This is disgusting. Trump’s government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community,” Newsom’s press office said in a post on X.
The Congress termed the Modi government “weak”, and said it would have to answer the country as to why was it unable to strongly advocate India’s interests. Reacting to the advertisement, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “Modi ji, who has been showcasing his international clout by calling Donald Trump his ‘friend’ and who even coined the slogan ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ among Indian-Americans, is now seeing continuous insults against Indians and people of Indian origin under his administration.
A short video clip in a related post by the U.S. DHS on X shows Megatron, the main antagonist character in the Transformers franchise, negotiating the release of aliens — a term used to describe foreign nationals by the U.S. administration. Megatron is shown seeking the release of truck drivers Harjinder Singh, Rajinder Kumar, Bekzhan Beishekeev, Akhror Bozorov, and Jasveer Singh, who were involved in road accidents and other crimes.
“If you approach this nation with hostile intent, know this. We will defend ourselves. We will defend Americanism. We will defend our home,” the DHS said in a post on X. Another post features Optimus Prime, the main protagonist in the Transformers franchise, with a DHS arm patch confronting the brown-bearded man with the message: Self-deport or find out.
The reference to Mr Singh in the advertisement was criticised by advocacy groups, including the Hindu American Foundation and Sikh Coalition. “Singhs are Hindu, they are Sikhs, they are American and they drive. Racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling by @DHSgov should shock our nation’s collective conscience,” the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a post on X.
This is a discriminatory post by a federal agency that is far beyond political messaging, and we welcome an investigation, the HAF said, tagging Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon and FBI Director Kash Patel. “Enforce the law. Do not caricature a people. @DHSgov Dangerous drivers come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths and last names,” the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) said.
Singling out SOME last names does nothing for safe streets, but it does endanger the safety of hundreds of thousands of Americans with names like Singh and Kumar, the group said. Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are still being targeted and profiled for how we look, the Sikh Coalition said in a post on X.
Millions of Sikhs in the United States have the last name Singh, which means lion. We remain fearless in identifying as Sikhs even when our government portrays us as enemies, the Sikh Coalition said.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi also condemned the social media post of the DHS and said, “Our government should never use its power to demonise people or suggest that their faith, heritage, or identity means they do not belong here.” “More than 160,000 people in the United States share the surname Singh. When the government demonises a name carried by so many Sikh families, it fuels xenophobia and casts suspicion on an entire community,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
Advocacy groups such as the Hindu American Foundation, the Sikh Coalition, Hindu Action, and the Coalition of Hindus of North America also dubbed the advertisement as un-American and racist.
The DHS took down the advertisement in question but hit back at Newsom, considered as a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 elections, accusing him of issuing commercial driving licences to illegal immigrants.
The Indian diaspora advocacy groups welcomed the removal of the advertisement by the DHS. “The DHS has now removed the post we called out yesterday. We welcome its removal. But when a federal agency uses a racialised caricature of an Indian/Sikh man to make a political point, taking the post down is only the first step,” the Hindu American Foundation said.
“Indian Americans, Sikhs, Hindus, and South Asians deserve better from their government,” the HAF said. However, the DHS posted a video of truck driver Harjinder Singh, who was arrested after an accident caused due to an illegal U-turn last year. Three persons were killed in the crash.
The row comes amid a DHS campaign to promote its CBP Home programme, which allows eligible undocumented migrants to register their intention to leave the United States voluntarily. Those registering for self-deportation can receive travel assistance and an exit bonus of USD 2,600, according to the DHS.
Attacking the Modi government on the issue, Mr Ramesh said, “Yet, the Modi government is behaving as if it is a silent partner in this entire episode. An extremely offensive poster targeting ‘Mr Singh’ was issued from the official handle of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in which a turbaned Indian was threatened with lines like ‘Get off our roads’ and ‘Self-deport or find out’,” Mr Ramesh said in a post on X.
“This is not just an insult to one individual or community – it is an insult to the dignity of all Indians,” he said. “There should have been a strong rebuttal to such racial stereotypes and this level of governmental rudeness,” Mr Ramesh asserted.
“After widespread protests in America, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had to take down this post,” he pointed out. “But even after that, the department continues to defend this campaign and its language through its official posts. The question is: Why has there been no strong public rebuttal from the Modi government on this insult to Indians?” Mr Ramesh asked.
“The special thing is that this is not the first instance of India’s insult under the weak Modi government,” the Congress general secretary said. “The whole world saw how Indians were sent back to India in a deeply humiliating manner — shackled in handcuffs and leg shackles — on a U.S. military aircraft,” he recalled.
“Even then, the Modi government did not raise its voice for the dignity of Indians in front of its “friend,” Mr Ramesh said. “Then America imposed unilateral additional tariffs on India, to which the Modi government could not muster any effective response,” he said.
“Why has our diplomatic strength become so feeble during the tenure of the Modi government, which boasts of being the ‘vishwaguru’, that India’s interests and sovereignty are facing one blow after another?” Mr Ramesh said. “Why is the Modi government silent? Why does the Government of India keep proving itself weak time and again?” he questioned.
“Does “friendship” mean that the Trump administration keeps insulting Indians, India’s economic and strategic interests keep getting undermined, and the Modi government keeps indulging in headline management every time to cover up its own mistakes?” Mr Ramesh asked.
“Friendship is important in foreign policy, but national interest, the dignity of Indians, and India’s sovereignty are paramount, and there can be no compromise on them,” the Congress leader asserted. “The Modi government will have to answer the country as to why is it unable to strongly advocate for India’s interests,” Mr Ramesh said.