Optimus Prime has spent four decades representing courage, compassion and protection. The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to use his likeness in immigration enforcement posts has now prompted Hasbro to make clear that it never approved the idea.
Hasbro responded Thursday after DHS published Transformers themed material on X tied to commercial driver’s licenses and deportation messaging. The company said in a statement on its official Instagram account that recent posts using Optimus Prime’s likeness were created “without permission” and do not represent Hasbro or the Transformers brand, according to Cosmic Book News.
One AI generated image showed an Optimus Prime styled figure bearing immigration enforcement markings while confronting a brown skinned, bearded man identified as “Mr Singh.” The graphic included the messages “Self-deport or find out” and “America for Americans,” along with a line telling Mr Singh to get off American roads.
The post drew criticism from Sikh and Hindu American groups over its use of the surname Singh and its depiction of a South Asian driver. Transformers fans found another problem with the campaign: the Autobots themselves are extraterrestrials who come to Earth from Cybertron, often after fleeing war and persecution.
Hasbro Says the Optimus Prime Posts Were Not Authorized
View this post on Instagram
Hasbro did not name DHS in its statement, but the response came one day after the department published the Transformers themed posts. The company described Optimus Prime as a character associated with “humility, leadership, compassion and justice” before addressing the use of his image.
“These posts were done without permission and do not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro,” the company said.
DHS had posted at least two pieces of Transformers themed content. One promoted its effort to remove commercial drivers it says should not have received licenses, while another presented a fake movie poster styled after the franchise.
The parody title was “Transformers: Age of Deportation,” a reference to the 2014 movie Transformers: Age of Extinction. The poster placed Optimus Prime in immigration enforcement colors, with government insignia incorporated into the character’s design.
A second AI generated image showed the Transformer facing the man identified as Mr Singh and carried the line “Self-deport or find out.” Cosmic Book News reported that the post had passed 4 million views by Thursday morning.
The ‘Mr Singh’ Poster Drew Accusations of Racial Profiling
https://t.co/Klx1oLLjM6 pic.twitter.com/PfmZp21bxr
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 9, 2026
The Indian Express reported that the DHS material was part of messaging aimed at undocumented immigrants working as commercial drivers. One graphic told viewers, “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr Singh.”
Singh is a widely used surname among Sikhs, including many Sikh and Punjabi Americans working in the trucking industry. The choice of the name, combined with the image of a brown skinned, bearded man wearing a head covering, prompted accusations that the federal agency was targeting an ethnic and religious identity rather than limiting its message to immigration status or driver’s licensing.
The Hindu American Foundation called the post racist, anti-Indian and un-American and asked for an investigation. The Sikh Coalition also responded publicly, saying Sikhs continue to face profiling based on their appearance and noting that millions of Sikhs carry the Singh surname. India Today reported that Sikh American journalist Alec Nolan also condemned the graphic as racist and demeaning.
DHS linked the campaign to its enforcement activity involving commercial drivers and recent crashes involving immigrant drivers. Its posts encouraged people to report undocumented immigrants on American roads and promoted voluntary self deportation.
Transformers Fans Pointed Out the Optimus Prime Problem
The Transformers connection created its own backlash inside the fandom. Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots, an alien group from Cybertron that comes to Earth and repeatedly fights to protect humans and other vulnerable beings.
Fans quickly pointed out that a character whose story involves arriving on another planet made for an unusual face of deportation messaging. The movie DHS chose to parody made the comparison even sharper. In Age of Extinction, human government operatives hunt Transformers on Earth, including Autobots.
Reaction inside Transformers communities focused heavily on that contradiction. Fans described Optimus as a refugee and repeated one of the character’s best known principles, that freedom belongs to all sentient beings.
The controversy also arrived shortly after the death of Peter Cullen, whose voice defined Optimus Prime for generations. Cullen died August 26 at 85. In its official tribute, Hasbro credited him with shaping the character around courage, sacrifice, dignity and compassion.
Cullen famously based the performance on advice from his older brother Larry, a Marine veteran who served in Vietnam. Larry encouraged him to play a hero who was powerful enough to remain gentle, an idea that became central to Cullen’s interpretation of Optimus.
DHS Faced a Similar Objection From Pokémon
Hasbro is not the first entertainment company to distance itself from DHS immigration content using a major franchise. In September 2025, the agency posted an enforcement video incorporating Pokémon footage, its theme song and the phrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.”
The Pokémon Company subsequently said it was not involved in creating or distributing the video and had not granted permission to use its intellectual property, Axios reported at the time.
Hasbro’s response comes as the Transformers franchise is preparing another high profile celebration of Optimus Prime and Cullen. The 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie returns to theaters in 4K beginning September 17 for its 40th anniversary.
The screenings will also feature the new 12 minute animated short Optimus Prime: Awakening. Fathom Entertainment says the short contains Cullen’s final original performance as Optimus Prime.