Crossing the line : ‘Mr Singh’ advertisement lays bare racial bias
The Tribune Editorial: The US Department of Homeland Security has argued that the campaign was intended to highlight specific cases involving foreign nationals accused of serious offences
Updated At : 09:37 AM Sep 12, 2026 IST
A widespread backlash has forced the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to remove its controversial social media advertisement targeting “Mr Singh”. However, the unsavoury episode cannot be dismissed merely with the deletion of a post. The advertisement, part of a campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers, used AI-generated imagery showing a bearded brown man with the message, “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive, Mr Singh,” followed by the threat, “Self-deport or find out.” Indian-American and Sikh organisations, along with Democratic leaders, rightly condemned the post as racist and discriminatory.
