‘Transformers were aliens too’: Social media reacts to Trump administration’s racist poster targeting Indian drivers | Today’s news
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) latest immigration campaign has sparked backlash online after it used the surname “Singh” alongside a brown-bearded man in a Transformers-style poster.
A digital ad released by DHS on X features an Optimus Prime-like figure with a DHS patch confronting a man identified as “Mr. Singh”. The message reads: “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr. Singh.”
The poster is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to encourage undocumented migrants to voluntarily leave the US, promoted under the slogan “Self-deport or find out”.
The campaign drew criticism from groups and social media users who accused DHS of using racial and religious stereotypes in its immigration reporting.
“Singhs are Hindus, Sikhs and Americans”
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) criticized the DHS post, saying the use of the Singh surname risked stereotyping a large community.
“The ‘Singhs’ are Hindu, they are Sikh, they are American, and they drive,” the organization said in a post on X, calling the DHS post “racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling.”
HAF also called for an investigation, saying the post went beyond political reporting and was discriminatory.
The Sikh Coalition similarly criticized the campaign, saying Sikhs continue to face targeting and profiling based on their appearance.
“Millions of Sikhs in the United States have the surname Singh,” the organization said, adding that Sikhs remained “fearless in identifying as Sikhs” even as their government portrayed them as enemies.
Read also | Green card update: DHS says not all immigrants have to leave US to apply, but…
“Transformers were literally aliens”
One of the most repeated reactions online focused on the choice of Transformers as a campaign theme.
“The Autobots were aliens,” wrote one user.
Another said, “Optimus Prime is an alien himself.”
Others derided what they saw as the irony of using an alien character to represent the US while portraying immigrants as “aliens”.
“It’s funny to use ‘Transformers’ for this picture when they were actually illegal aliens on Earth,” wrote another user.
Another comment read: “So you’re saying your department is aliens from another planet and you’re here to report aliens from this planet…”
Links point to the fact that Transformers characters are aliens in the franchise.
Read also | Should the DHS shutdown be extended? Johnson says the Senate bill must be rewritten
“How can you make such a racist assumption?”
Several users specifically objected to the suggestion that the person identified as “Mr. Singh” was being portrayed as an unsafe or incompetent driver.
“What is this? How can you make such a racist and unfair assumption about an entire community?” one user wrote, arguing that the actions of a few individuals should not be attributed to all people with the surname Singh.
Another user said the campaign could encourage people to associate anyone with a South Asian appearance with illegal immigration.
“The public will start reporting every brown, yellow and black as illegal aliens,” the user wrote, saying that DHS needs to be more responsible with its advertising.
Another commenter described the post as “utter racism” and questioned whether the US government should be using such imagery.
“Twenty-Five Years After 9/11”
The Sikh Coalition linked the controversy to a longer history of profiling of Sikhs in the US.
“Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are still being targeted and profiled based on how we look,” the organization said.
The coalition said millions of Sikhs have the surname Singh, meaning “lion”, and criticized the portrayal of the community as enemies.
The Hindu American Foundation also questioned whether companies associated with the Transformers franchise were comfortable using the characters in the DHS campaign.
What is the DHS campaign about?
The controversy comes as the Trump administration promotes its CBP Home program, which allows eligible undocumented migrants to register their intention to leave the US voluntarily.
According to material provided by DHS, those who register for self-deportation can receive travel assistance and an exit bonus of $2,600.
DHS also shared an AI-generated video featuring Megatron, another Transformers character, in which the character negotiates the release of several people described by the department as “aliens.”
The ministry linked the campaign with enforcement actions against immigrant truck drivers involved in traffic accidents and other crimes.