'Get off our roads Mr Singh': US DHS advertisement asking to 'self-deport' sparks row - Deccan Herald

**U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s “Mr. Singh” billboard sparks diplomatic and community backlash**

A series of billboard advertisements that appeared in several U.S. states in early August carried the headline “Get off our roads, Mr. Singh” alongside a graphic of a truck driver and a call for “self‑deportation.” The ads, which were placed by a contractor working under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) broader “Secure Our Borders” outreach, targeted undocumented immigrants who work in the trucking and transportation sectors. The wording singled out the common Indian surname “Singh,” prompting immediate accusations that the campaign was racially profiling a specific ethnic group.

Indian‑American advocacy groups, the Indian embassy in Washington, and several U.S. lawmakers condemned the billboards as xenophobic and discriminatory. The Indian American Muslim Council and the South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) organized protests and filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that the ads perpetuated a stereotype that Indians are “bad drivers” and that they violated civil‑rights protections. In response, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D‑WI) and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D‑IL) wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging an immediate review and removal of the material.

Within 48 hours of the public outcry, DHS announced that the billboards would be taken down and that the contractor had acted without proper clearance from senior officials. In a brief statement, Mayorkas said the agency “does not condone language that singles out any community based on race, ethnicity, or national origin” and pledged a review of its outreach procedures to prevent similar incidents. The episode has reignited a broader debate in Washington over immigration messaging and the fine line between enforcement campaigns and hate‑based propaganda.