CHANDIGARH: The controversy over the Trump administration’s messaging targeting Indian-origin truck drivers in the United States refuses to die down.
The latest development came after Punjab-born truck driver Manjit Singh was arrested in Ohio in connection with a fatal crash that killed a woman. The incident comes amid growing criticism from Indian-American and Sikh advocacy groups, which have accused the administration of using racist and discriminatory messaging.
The backlash intensified after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed an AI-generated advertisement from X that urged “Mr. Singh” to self-deport. The post featured a Transformers-themed cartoon of a brown-bearded man with the tagline: “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr. Singh.” DHS did not immediately explain why the post was removed.
Indian-American organisations and Democratic lawmakers condemned the graphic, saying it unfairly targeted Sikh Americans and could cast suspicion on millions of people who share the surname Singh.
The controversy also triggered a public clash between California Governor Gavin Newsom and the federal government.
The DHS had earlier posted a graphic referencing Harjinder Singh, an Indian national facing vehicular homicide and manslaughter charges after allegedly making an illegal U-turn in a semi-truck in Florida, killing three people. Singh has pleaded not guilty.
Responding to criticism from Newsom, DHS wrote on X: “This may be the laziest lie you’ve ever told and that’s saying something.”
Newsom subsequently criticised the Trump administration, writing: “This is disgusting. Trump’s government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community.”
DHS responded with a video, stating: “Hey Gavin, YOU gave him his CDL and then he killed three people with his tractor-trailer.”
Senator Adam Schiff also condemned the campaign, accusing DHS of “obvious bigotry” and saying its advertising campaign was “hateful, disgraceful, and un-American.”
The deleted graphic was part of a broader DHS social-media campaign targeting unauthorised commercial drivers accused of involvement in fatal crashes.
In one post, DHS urged Americans to report alleged commercial driver’s licence fraud, stating that “far too many American lives have been lost or permanently changed because illegal aliens who have no business being on our roads have been granted CDLs.”
DHS also urged the public to report “dangerous and fraudulent CDL practices” through an ICE tip line.
In another post, the department highlighted a separate fatal crash involving an undocumented immigrant, saying it was committed to removing “criminal illegal aliens” from the country.
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