Trump Administration Tells Indians to Leave US Roads

A poster targeting people of Indian origin as part of an anti-immigration campaign in the United States has sparked controversy. Addressing “Mr. Singh,” the poster says, “Get off the road, you don’t know how to drive.” Various rights organisations in the country have accused the poster of being racist and discriminatory toward Indians.

A report by NDTV on Thursday (September 10) said the US Department of Homeland Security published the poster on its social media pages.

The poster features Optimus Prime, the popular robot character from the Transformers film series, carrying the insignia of the US Department of Homeland Security. Standing in front of him is a brown-skinned, bearded man addressed as “Mr. Singh.”

The poster’s message reads, “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive, Mr. Singh.” It was published as part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign encouraging immigrants who are illegally staying in the US to leave the country voluntarily.

The campaign also uses messages such as, “Leave the country yourself, or face the consequences.” Alongside this, the US Department of Homeland Security has released an AI-generated video. In the video, Megatron, another character from the Transformers series, is seen discussing the release of several truck drivers. The drivers are identified as Harjinder Singh, Rajinder Kumar, Bekjan Beishekiv, Akhror Bozorov and Jasvir Singh. The report said they had been involved in road accidents and other offences.

Various rights organisations have strongly protested after the poster was published. The Hindu American Foundation said that people with the surname “Singh” include Hindus, Sikhs and American citizens—and they drive cars. The organisation described the US Department of Homeland Security’s campaign as racist, anti-American and discriminatory propaganda targeting Indians. It also called for an investigation into the incident.

The Sikh Coalition also criticised the poster, saying that millions of Sikhs in the United States have the surname Singh. It alleged that Sikhs are still being targeted because of their appearance.

According to the report, the surname “Singh” is widely used among both Hindus and Sikhs. People from these communities also have a significant presence in the US trucking industry. Therefore, although the campaign claims to target only illegal immigrants, critics argue that the poster’s language targets a broader section of Indian Americans living in the United States.

Meanwhile, the robot character used in the poster to represent the United States is itself an alien character from the Transformers storyline. The report also highlighted this aspect as an ironic element.

Under the Trump administration’s voluntary departure programme, eligible undocumented immigrants can indicate their intention to leave the United States. According to information from the US Department of Homeland Security, those who register for the programme may receive travel assistance as well as incentives of up to $2,600.

Source: NDTV