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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday removed an advertisement promoting its self-deportation campaign after it faced widespread backlash for allegedly targeting the Sikh community.

The AI-generated advertisement, posted on X, featured a brown-bearded man and carried the tagline: “Get off our roads, you don't know how to drive Mr Singh.”

The advertisement was part of a DHS campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers in the United States. Indian-American groups and Democratic leaders criticised the post, with several advocacy organisations describing it as racist and discriminatory.

Indian Diaspora Groups Welcome Removal

Indian diaspora advocacy groups welcomed the removal of the advertisement but said taking it down was only a first step.

“The DHS has now removed the post we called out yesterday. We welcome its removal. But when a federal agency uses a racialised caricature of an Indian/Sikh man to make a political point, taking the post down is only the first step,” the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said, according to PTI.

California Governor Gavin Newsom also criticised the advertisement after sharing a screenshot of the Transformers-style campaign.

“This is disgusting. Trump's government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community,” Newsom said.

The DHS responded to the criticism with another post highlighting the case of truck driver Harjinder Singh, who was arrested last year after three people were killed in an accident allegedly caused by an illegal U-turn.

Sikh, Hindu Groups Condemn Advertisement

Several advocacy organisations, including the Hindu American Foundation, Sikh Coalition, Hindu Action and Coalition of Hindus of North America, criticised the advertisement.

“Singhs are Hindu, they are Sikhs, they are American and they drive. Racist, un-American, anti-Indian profiling/trolling by @DHSgov should shock our nation's collective conscience,” HAF said in a post on X.

The organisation tagged Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K Dhillon and FBI Director Kash Patel, calling the post “discriminatory” and saying it went “far beyond political messaging”. HAF also called for an investigation.

The DHS has been running a campaign promoting its CBP Home programme, under which undocumented migrants can register their intention to leave the United States voluntarily.

According to DHS, migrants who register for self-deportation may be eligible for travel assistance and an exit bonus of $2,600.