The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has drawn criticism from the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) over an immigration enforcement advertisement featuring a reference to “Mr Singh” and a message telling undocumented migrants to “get off our roads”.
The poster forms part of the Trump administration’s wider campaign encouraging people who are unlawfully present in the United States to voluntarily leave the country. DHS has promoted the campaign through posters and digital advertisements, using the slogan “Self-deport or find out.”
One advertisement includes the message:
“Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr Singh.”
It continues with a warning that those who approach the United States “with hostile intent” will face efforts to “defend Americanism” and “defend our home”. The advertisement also directs people to report suspected undocumented migrants on American roads.
The reference to “Mr Singh” has prompted criticism from the Hindu American Foundation, which said the campaign amounted to discriminatory racial and religious profiling.
“‘Singhs’ are Hindu, they are Sikhs, they are American and they drive,” the organisation said in a statement.
HAF described the advertisement as “racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling” by a federal agency and said it should “shock our nation’s collective conscience”.
The organisation also questioned the use of imagery associated with the Transformers franchise and called on companies including Hasbro, Takara Tomy and Paramount Pictures to respond to what it described as the appropriation of the franchise for the campaign.
HAF further tagged US officials and civil rights authorities, arguing that the post went beyond political messaging and warranted investigation.
The controversy comes as DHS continues to promote its CBP Home programme, which allows eligible undocumented migrants to register their intention to leave the United States voluntarily.
According to DHS, the programme is designed to provide an alternative to arrest and detention, with eligible participants able to arrange travel and return to their home country through the CBP Home mobile application.
DHS says people who register for voluntary departure can receive travel assistance and an exit payment. The department’s current CBP Home webpage says the exit bonus is US$2,600.
The incentive has changed over time. DHS previously announced a US$3,000 stipend for people who registered by the end of 2025, while its current programme lists the bonus at US$2,600.
The department says the programme allows eligible participants to leave the country as regular travellers rather than being arrested, detained or restrained, while also providing assistance with travel arrangements.
DHS has framed the initiative as part of its broader immigration enforcement strategy under President Donald Trump, including efforts to remove people who are unlawfully present in the country.
However, the use of a stereotypical “Mr Singh” character in an official government advertisement has raised a separate question about whether immigration enforcement messaging is crossing into racial or ethnic stereotyping.
The Hindu American Foundation’s criticism focuses not on the legality of immigration enforcement itself, but on the use of an Indian/Sikh-associated surname in a federal campaign portraying people on American roads as potential immigration offenders.
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