Newsom, lawmakers criticize now-deleted DHS post targeting Sikh truck drivers

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office condemned a post on the Department of Homeland Security’s X account Thursday, calling it “racist propaganda.”

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The DHS’s Wednesday post featured an image of a bearded man in a bandanna facing Optimus Prime, a Transformers character, with the DHS seal on his armor. Words between the two in the center of the poster read “self-deport or find out.” The post has since been taken down.

The bottom of the poster read “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr. Singh.” Indian American groups and Democrats said that the poster discriminated against members of the Sikh religion, which originates in South Asia. Singh is one of the most common Sikh surnames.

“Dangerous drivers come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths and last names,” said the Coalition of Hindus of North America in a Wednesday X post. “When an official US Government handle shows a brown person as ‘foreign’ and ‘un-American,’ it becomes open season to target Hindus and Indian Americans – including those who are legal residents and citizens.”

The DHS said the post was meant to depict Harjinder Singh, a commercial truck driver accused of vehicular manslaughter after a Florida crash, according to reporting by The New York Times. The incident, in which an 18-wheeler killed three individuals in a minivan, sparked national debate over requirements for commercial driver’s licenses. Republicans aligned with the DHS claimed that Singh is an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. and should not have been permitted to drive a truck.

The DHS’s poster came amid a slew of other social media content targeting truck drivers allegedly in the country illegally. A video posted to the DHS’s X account Wednesday depicts Singh and others involved in commercial vehicle accidents. Singh appeared to be wearing clothing similar to the man depicted in the poster.

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“Aliens don’t belong behind the wheel of American trucks on American roads,” text at the end of the video read. Underneath the statement, the phone number of a tip line to “report and deport” appeared.

The timing of the DHS’s messaging — close to the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — has drawn particular scrutiny. After the attacks, Muslims faced increased discrimination and violence in the U.S. Sikh men, who traditionally have beards and wear turbans, have often been mistaken for Muslims and subjected to Islamophobic attacks.

“Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are *still* being targeted and profiled for how we look,” the Sikh Coalition said in a Wednesday X post. “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.”

Several lawmakers have spoken out in opposition to the online campaign, calling it discriminatory. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Stockton, said in an X post Thursday that he is “outraged” that the DHS permitted the content to be posted.

“The Department of Homeland Security posted several disgusting and discriminatory social media posts today attacking the Sikh community,” Harder said. “No one deserves to be targeted by Washington politicians because of their faith or name. Taking these posts down is not enough. Whoever allowed this to happen should be fired.”

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