The Department of Homeland Security deleted a social media post featuring a Sikh man and an Optimus Prime-like character after the graphic drew accusations that the Trump administration was using a racial stereotype to promote its immigration crackdown.
The post, which appeared Wednesday on DHS’ official X account, showed the “Transformers” character confronting a bearded man wearing a turban. The AI-generated image included the message “Self-deport or find out” and told “Mr. Singh” — one of the most common surnames among Sikh men — to get off American roads because he did not “know how to drive.”
DHS has launched a broader campaign this year targeting immigrants working as commercial drivers, claiming it wants to tighten enforcement against people who are undocumented or unlicensed. The department has highlighted fatal crashes involving immigrant truck drivers as part of its push and even opened a tip line asking Americans to report any truck driver they suspect of being undocumented.
In a statement to The Washington Sun, DHS said its post depicted Harjinder Singh, an Indian truck driver accused of causing a fatal crash in Florida last year when his 18-wheeler collided with a minivan on the highway, killing three people in the other vehicle. Singh has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide and manslaughter charges.
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DHS told The Sun that criticism of the post was “nonsensical drivel” and “faux outrage.” The department has said Singh, who obtained a work permit and driver’s license in California, was not in the U.S. legally after he entered the country in 2018.
“Harjinder Singh is an illegal alien from India who should never have been in our country,” the DHS statement said.
The Sikh Coalition said Wednesday’s post amounted to racial profiling and pointed to a long history of Sikhs in the United States, including in the trucking industry. The Hindu American Foundation also condemned the graphic as racist and anti-Indian.
“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 posted on X.
The department has faced growing criticism over its use of AI-generated imagery and pop-culture references in its immigration messaging.
In a separate post that is still available on the official X profile, the department used AI to create a video that featured Transformer-like creatures targeting several truck drivers officials said were in the country illegally — including Singh, who was dressed similarly to the man depicted in the now-deleted post.
“We will defend ourselves. We will defend Americanism. We will defend our home,” the caption for the video reads.
Hasbro, which owns the Transformers franchise, said in a statement that the administration was using the likeness of its characters without permission.
“Optimus Prime is a beloved character who represents humility, leadership, compassion and justice,” Hasbro said. “These posts were done without permission and do not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro.”
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