Washington:
The Donald Trump administration in the United States has once again stirred controversy with a racist remark against Indians on its latest immigration enforcement advertisement. The poster, a parody of the movie 'Transformers', shows a robot confronting a brown man in a bandana, referring to him as "Mr Singh".
Posted on the US Department of Homeland Security's X account, the digital advertisement features Optimus Prime, the main protagonist in the Transformers franchise, with a DHS arm patch, confronting the brown-bearded man with the message, "Get off our roads, you don't know how to drive, Mr Singh. "It is part of Trump administration's wider campaign encouraging illegal immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States. DHS has promoted the campaign using the slogan "Self-deport or find out. "
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov)DHS also posted a short AI-generated video, showing Megatron, the main antagonist character in the Transformers franchise, negotiating the release of "aliens" -- a term used to describe foreign nationals by the US 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.
The 'Singh' Reference
The surname 'Singh' is shared by a large population who practice Hinduism and Sikhism -- a cohort that also forms a major chunk of the American trucking workforce. But the line used on the poster appeared to target all people of Indian origin in the US, not just those who are in the US illegally.Incidentally, the robot featured on the poster, meant to signify the US, is a character from Transformer lore, which is literally an alien.
The Backlash
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.
"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.
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.