US dumps ad asking 'Mr Singh' to self-deport after backlash

Washington: The US Department of Homeland Security removed an Transformers-style advertisement asking "Mr Singh" to self-deport following a backlash from Indian-American groups and Democratic leaders who described it as "racist propaganda".

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 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 a strong pushback 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.

Advocacy groups such as Hindu American Foundation, Sikh Coalition, HinduAction, Coalition of Hindus of North America also dubbed the advertisement un-American and racist.

The DHS took down the advertisement in question but hit back at Newsom, considered a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 elections, accusing him of issuing commercial driving licenses 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," Hindu American Foundation said.

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