U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) has condemned the stabbing of a Sikh truck driver at a Wyoming rest stop, while criticizing a recent Department of Homeland Security social media post that used the name “Mr. Singh” in an immigration enforcement message.
The driver, identified by NPR only by his last name, told the news organization that he was followed into a bathroom at a rest area in southern Wyoming early Sunday and stabbed multiple times. He suffered injuries to his neck, chest and ribs and remained hospitalized as of Wednesday night, according to NPR.
Local authorities arrested Andrew Kris Bzdak, 45, and charged him with attempted first-degree murder, according to charging documents cited by NPR. The documents did not state a motive for the attack.The driver told NPR that the attack appeared unprovoked. He also credited a Hispanic family at the rest stop with helping him after he was wounded and seeking medical assistance.
READ: DHS ‘Mr. Singh’ post denounced as racist, accused of putting Sikh Americans at risk (September 10, 2026)
In a statement, Krishnamoorthi said he was “horrified” by the attack and linked it to what he described as rising hostility toward Sikh and South Asian Americans.
“Those spreading this hate, including officials in our own federal government, need to stop. Those who turn it into violence must be held accountable,” Krishnamoorthi said. “And all of us need to stand together against both.” Krishnamoorthi also criticized a DHS social media post published earlier in September that featured a brown, bearded man identified as “Mr. Singh” in a Transformers-style graphic. The post told the character to “get off our roads” and “self-deport or find out.” DHS later removed the post following criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups.
The congressman said the use of the surname Singh was particularly concerning because it is widely associated with Sikh identity. In a September 10 statement, he said more than 160,000 people in the United States share the surname and argued that using it in the DHS post could cast suspicion on Sikh and South Asian communities. Krishnamoorthi subsequently joined Reps. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.) in calling on President Donald Trump to address the DHS post and the use of racial, ethnic and religious stereotypes in federal communications.
The lawmakers said the now-deleted post used Sikh identity in portraying a person as an unwanted foreigner and warned that such government messaging could contribute to hostility toward Sikh and South Asian Americans. They asked the administration to acknowledge the concerns raised by the post and establish standards against racial, ethnic, religious and national-origin stereotypes in federal communications.
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The Wyoming stabbing has renewed attention among South Asian and Sikh communities because of its timing, coming days after the DHS post. NPR reported that community members have expressed concern about the broader climate of rhetoric targeting South Asians. However, authorities have not publicly established a racial or religious motive for the Wyoming attack. Krishnamoorthi said he was praying for the driver’s recovery and thanked the family that helped him after the attack.
The investigation into the stabbing remains ongoing, while the congressional criticism of the DHS post has focused on how federal immigration messaging portrays Sikh and South Asian Americans.