California is being pulled into another immigration fight with the Trump administration after the Department of Homeland Security posted a controversial image telling “Mr Singh” to get off American roads.
The controversy was amplified Thursday by the California Governor’s Press Office on X, bringing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state into a debate already drawing accusations of racial and religious stereotyping.
DHS posted an AI-generated “Transformers”-style graphic Wednesday featuring a brown-skinned, bearded man alongside the message, “Get off our roads; you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh.” The graphic also declared “America for Americans” and promoted the Trump administration’s self-deportation campaign.
The reference to “Singh,” a surname shared by millions of Sikhs, immediately drew condemnation from Sikh and Hindu American organizations.
The Sikh Coalition said, “Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sikhs are still being targeted and profiled for how we look.” The organization argued that portraying “Singh” as shorthand for a dangerous immigrant driver crossed the line from immigration enforcement into racial profiling.
The Hindu American Foundation similarly called the messaging “racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling,” while calling for federal officials to investigate the post.
California Republicans React
California adds another layer to the controversy. The state has already been at the center of a prolonged political battle with the Trump administration over commercial licenses issued to immigrant truck drivers. Federal transportation officials have accused California of improperly issuing some non-domiciled commercial licenses, while state officials have pushed back against the administration’s characterization of the program. The Republican GOP took him to task in the comments.
“Why our Indian American community still votes for your party is beyond us, but we need to educate their families back home”
“Democrats love murdering American citizens by giving non-English speaking foreigners CDLs.”
“Deport them all. This includes more than 50% of Gavin’s voters too. Illegals gotta go”
For California, home to large Sikh and Punjabi communities and a state already frequently targeted by Trump officials over immigration, the social-media battle has quickly become another front in this prolonged battle Gov. Newsom is waging.
