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Jimmy Williams
Alabama GOP Senator Katie Britt is under scrutiny for her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, where she shared a story about a human trafficking victim.
Critics argue that the story was misleading, as it did not occur during Biden’s presidency but during George W. Bush’s administration in Mexico. Despite the allegations of misinformation, Senator Britt defended her statements on “Fox News Sunday.”
During her Thursday-night speech, Britt recounted visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in 2023 and speaking to a woman who had been sex-trafficked by cartels since the age of 12. However, a viral social media post revealed that the trafficking occurred in Mexico during President George W. Bush’s administration.
In her defense, Senator Britt asserted that she did not intend to give the impression that the story happened during Biden’s tenure. She emphasized that she clearly stated the woman was trafficked at the age of 12, not as a teenager or a young woman during Biden’s presidency.
Britt reiterated her criticism of Biden’s border policies, claiming that he “invited” the crisis with executive actions in his first 100 days. The White House responded by accusing Britt of relying on “debunked lies” and urged her to support bipartisan border legislation.
“Instead of telling more debunked lies to justify opposing the toughest bipartisan border legislation in modern history, Senator Britt should stop choosing human smugglers and fentanyl traffickers over our national security and the Border Patrol Union,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement. “Like President Biden said in his State of the Union, ‘We have a simple choice: We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it.’”
The woman in the story, later identified as Karla Jacinto Romero, testified before Congress in 2015 about her traumatic experience. Jacinto Romero, a trafficking victims’ rights advocate, shared her ordeal, which began around the age of 12. Senator Britt’s office confirmed that she was referring to Jacinto Romero in her speech.
The White House condemned Senator Britt’s reliance on false information to criticize Biden. The ongoing debate underscores the contentious issue of border security, with Republicans criticizing Biden’s approach, while the administration maintains that a bipartisan solution is needed.
