A social media post from the Department of Homeland Security targeting a specific group of commercial truck drivers is drawing criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and a Central Valley trucking leader, who says legitimate safety concerns are being used to target an entire community.
, which has since been taken down, shows the character Optimus Prime from the "Transformers" franchise facing a man and includes the phrases "America for Americans," "Self-deport or find out," and "Get off our roads, you don't know how to drive, Mr. Singh."
Raman Dhillon, who has worked in the trucking industry for 30 years and runs the North American Punjabi Trucking Association, said the post uses "Singh," a common Sikh surname, as a derogatory reference to Sikh truck drivers generally and not to one particular driver.
"That person who follows Sikh religion has the same middle name, Singh. So you're calling a whole Sikh community that," Dhillon said.
Newsom's press office called the post "disgusting." DHS responded by pointing to Harjinder Singh, a California-licensed commercial truck driver charged after authorities say he made an illegal U-turn on Florida's Turnpike in August 2025, causing a crash that killed three people. Singh is an Indian national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2018.
DHS told Newsom, "YOU gave him his CDL and then he killed three people."
Hasbro, which owns the "Transformers" franchise, said in a statement that it did not give the DHS permission to use the character of Optimus Prime.
"Optimus Prime is a beloved character who represents humility, leadership, compassion and justice. Hasbro is aware of the recent posts using his likeness. These posts were done without permission and do not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro," Hasbro said.
Dhillon said he supports removing unsafe drivers from the road but believes both state and federal agencies should also answer for how unqualified drivers were able to obtain licenses and work authorization.
"We are not against compliance. We are not against safety, but a safety measurement of safety should not be some last name. Should not be a community," Dhillon said.
The controversy comes amid a broader federal crackdown on the commercial trucking industry. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently removed 110 CDL training providers from its registry after linking them to more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-language proficiency tests. In July, nearly 400 investigations across 40 states found violations including unlicensed instructors, inadequate training space and missing records, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Dhillon also questioned why drivers are being criticized for limited English proficiency when California has offered portions of its CDL testing in languages other than English.
"Why is the State of California giving the CDL exam in five different languages then?" Dhillon said.
He said the focus should be on fixing the systems that allowed unqualified drivers onto the road rather than blaming a broader group.
"Who gave them a license? That's a government. That's a DMV. That's state," Dhillon said. "Who gave them a work permit? It's the federal government."
Dhillon said he is concerned the rhetoric could also fuel hostility toward Sikh truck drivers, saying drivers are already reporting troubling comments online and at loading docks.
CBS News Sacramento reached out to the DHS for additional comment on the matter. In a statement, a DHS spokesperson called CBS' coverage of the backlash "nonsensical drivel" and labeled the overall response to the post "faux outrage."
"Freedom from illegal alien crime is the right of all Americans," the spokesperson added.
Newsom's office also responded to a request for an additional comment, saying, "The Trump Administration is using a tragedy to smear an entire workforce and target a community — and the facts simply don't support it. California follows federal law for commercial driver's licenses. And according to the federal government's own data, drivers holding California-issued CDLs are involved in fatal crashes at a rate 42% below the national average.
"Texas and Florida — the next two largest CDL issuers have fatal-crash rates 59% and 43% higher than California, respectively. If the true goal is safer roads, follow the facts."
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