Trump’s Sikh Lawyer Faces Racist Attack From MAGA For Defending US Immigrant Truck Drivers

Last Updated:October 29, 2025, 08:54 IST

The backlash erupted after two fatal truck accidents involving Sikh drivers triggered online outrage, with MAGA blaming immigrant truckers for “undercutting” American jobs.

Indian origin California attorney Harmeet Dhillon.

California attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who headed the civil rights division in US President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, is facing a wave of racist abuse from far-right supporters after she urged restraint and fairness amid rising hostility toward Sikh and Indian-origin truck drivers following two fatal accidents involving members of the Sikh community.

What Harmeet Dhillon said?

Dhillon, a prominent Republican and close Trump ally, condemned California’s “absurd coddling of illegal aliens" but urged Americans not to scapegoat law-abiding Indian-origin and Sikh truckers. 

Writing on X, she said, “Those responsible for these tragedies must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Unfortunately, in the fog of outrage, some are using these tragedies as an opportunity to attack Sikhs and Indian-origin drivers simply because of who they are."

She further warned that federal law strictly prohibits discrimination based on race, colour, religion, or national origin, and pledged that her office “will aggressively prosecute or pursue justice against those engaged in such discrimination."

MAGA turn against Dhillon

Dhillon’s message, though consistent with her long-standing support for law and order, sparked furious backlash among some within the MAGA movement. 

“Indian appointee protecting Indian immigrants, stealing jobs from Americans. Who could have seen that coming?" one online commenter wrote. Another added, “I am shocked that an Indian is threatening to wield her power against Americans on behalf of her co-ethnics."

The vitriol highlights a growing tension within parts of the Trump-aligned base, where nationalist and anti-immigrant sentiment often collides with the party’s increasingly diverse ranks. Dhillon’s experience mirrors that of other Indian-American Trump loyalists such as Kash Patel, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Dinesh D’Souza, who have each faced racist attacks from Trump supporters online.

Patel, a former Pentagon official, recently posted a Diwali greeting only to receive replies like “go back to India" and “worship your sand demons", a reminder of the persistent xenophobia within segments of the far-right movement.

Many of you have probably seen the news in the last few months of two illegal aliens causing horrific tragedies on American roadways while behind the wheel of large commercial trucks. These individuals obtained commercial driver’s licenses in California due to the State’s…— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) October 27, 2025

Truck accidents

The backlash erupted after two fatal trucking accidents involving Sikh drivers triggered online outrage, with MAGA activists blaming immigrant truckers for “undercutting" American jobs. However, data from the American Trucking Association (ATA) paints a starkly different picture. 

The US currently faces a shortage of nearly 60,000 drivers, a number expected to rise to 160,000 by 2030.

Gruelling hours, poor working conditions, and long stretches away from home have deterred many Americans from taking up trucking. Immigrant drivers, they argue, have been vital in sustaining the country’s supply chain.

News world Trump’s Sikh Lawyer Faces Racist Attack From MAGA For Defending US Immigrant Truck Drivers

Read More