Trump’s DHS Goons Delete Vile Post After Toy Brand Backlash

Evan Vucci / REUTERS The Department of Homeland Security has deleted a social media post that depicted a Sikh man alongside a taunt telling him to get off American roads, after the image triggered a backlash.

The post showed a bearded man wearing a bandana facing off against Optimus Prime, the Transformers character, depicted wearing the Department of Homeland Security’s seal on his armor.

The image carried the line, “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr.

Singh.” It was immediately blasted by Indian American groups and Democrats, who called it racist and said it stigmatized the many Americans who share the last name Singh, a common surname among Sikhs.

The timing made things worse as the post, on Wednesday, landed just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, a date with painful resonance for Sikh Americans.

In the aftermath of those attacks, Sikh men, who traditionally wear beards and turbans, were mistakenly targeted in a wave of anti-Muslim violence, despite having no connection to the terrorists.

DHS, led by President Donald Trump’s handpicked secretary, Markwayne Mullin, insisted the graphic was about one specific person.

They said it was Harjinder Singh, an Indian man accused of causing a fatal crash last year in which an 18-wheeler he was driving collided with a minivan on Florida’s turnpike, killing three people.

He has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide and manslaughter charges.

The department dismissed the uproar as “nonsensical drivel” and declared in a statement, “Harjinder Singh is an illegal alien from India who should never have been in our country.” It was hardly the administration’s first time spotlighting Sikh and Indian truck drivers in its immigration crackdown.

A video DHS posted the same day featured several drivers who officials said were in the country illegally, including Singh, dressed similarly to the man in the now-deleted image.

Hasbro, which owns the Transformers franchise, made clear it wanted nothing to do with the campaign.

“Hasbro is aware of the recent posts using our characters,” the company said in a statement.

“These posts were done without permission and do not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro.” On Instagram, the company leaned in further, framing its message around the character DHS had borrowed: “Optimus Prime is a beloved character who represents humility, leadership, compassion and justice.