Republican Senator Katie Britt has faced criticism from Karla Jacinto Romero, the victim of child sex abuse whose story Britt recounted inaccurately during her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Romero rebuked Britt for distorting her experience to criticize Biden’s border policies, emphasizing the misuse of her narrative for political purposes. Britt, representing Alabama, maintained that her recounting of the story was aimed at highlighting issues of sex trafficking by cartels and not at implicating the current administration for the crimes.

The controversy centers around Britt’s use of Romero’s story, which dates back over 15 years and occurred in Mexico, contradicting the impression that it was a recent event within the US. Britt defended her speech on Fox News Sunday, clarifying she never intended to mislead and had acknowledged in her rebuttal that the trafficking of the survivor happened in her childhood. Despite this, the use of Romero’s testimony has been criticized for lacking precision and empathy, particularly in the context of politicizing human trafficking.

Britt has refrained from issuing an apology for any potential confusion stemming from her remarks but condemned the media for what she perceives as inadequate coverage of human trafficking stories. This incident has highlighted the ethical responsibilities politicians face when sharing personal stories within political discourse and the broader implications of representing sensitive issues like human trafficking and child sex abuse.