After U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Thursday, a high-level of criticism was unavoidable.
The rebuttal didn't land for most Democrats, as expected. Even some Republicans said they could not relate to Britt's "from the kitchen" speech, either.
However, one particular claim Britt made is getting the most attention, with many saying she was not being truthful.
SEE ALSO: Katie Britt on SOTU response criticism: 'When you get into the arena, you get arrows'
Britt told the story of when she visited the border in 2022. She met with a woman who said she had been sex trafficked by Mexican cartels since she was 12 years old.
Karla Jacinto Romero, who has testified in front of Congress and has gone public with her story for nearly a decade, was victimized from 2004 to 2008 in Mexico. Her story has been used as an example of why the United States should secure the border and prevent cartels from operating on American soil.
Britt's example of the horrific crimes connected to the cartel had many pointing out this case did not happen during the Biden administration.
Jonathan Katz took to TikTok to express his doubts about Britt's claims.
"It seems very clear to me that what she's trying to do is she's trying to create an association in peoples' minds between Joe Biden, the border, Mexicans, you know Latin, people of Latin descent, something like that, and sexual violence," Katz said. "That's what she's going for, and she's doing it on the basis of what you can only say is just an out-and-out lie."
@89_arg @Jonathan M. Katz wow! Good job on finding this information. #voteblue #vote #donaldtrump #republican #katiebritt #liar #democrat #stateoftheunion #biden #votetiktok #joebiden ♬ original sound - adamrg
But those who work to stop human trafficking here on U.S. soil during the Biden administration say the example is relevant.
As Britt pointed out in her response to the State of the Union, Biden took 94 executive actions at the border within his first year in office. Those actions ended programs to secure the border and pulled back Trump-era policies to protect the border. Since then, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 8.8 million border crossings, overwhelming Border Patrol.
Jared Hudson, founder of Covenant Rescue Group, sees firsthand what's happening in our own backyards.
"It doesn't matter when it happened; we're saying this is what the open borders create, and we're seeing that all the time," Hudson explained. "We had two on our last op that were arrested and deported. They were illegal immigrants here, and they were targeting 14-year-old girls."
Covenant Rescue Group provides training for law enforcement involved in human trafficking investigations. Operating on a global level, the group funds rescues, arrests and prosecutions.
Hudson said in addition to American citizens, illegal immigrants were being victimized on U.S. soil because they were scared to call the police.
"About a year ago, a guy was deported by ICE because a Hispanic lady who was also an illegal immigrant reached out to us, telling about this man that locked her up and made her perform sex acts and take videos," Hudson explained. "He finally released her after about a week. She was a victim who had no recourse because she was also an illegal immigrant."
With Biden border policies, Hudson says there are more opportunities for crimes and more victims.
"We're allowing people to be victimized, and I think that's what Katie was probably talking about," he told 1819 News. "We are increasing the chance that people can be victimized. What she's saying is true. We just increase the chance of that happening."
"It should be understood that the open border creates this problem," he continued. "It exists without an open border, but it doesn't exist like this."
Hudson said when the government creates a void at the border with a lack of security, "bad people" and "evil organizations" fill that void.
While those who oppose Britt continue to speak out against what she said, Hudson believes they are unaware of what is happening now on U.S. soil. He believes there is a political and personal vendetta for those who look the other way and try to make it sound like these crimes are not increasing.
"They've got to make Trump look bad," he explained. "So, Trump supports Britt, so they can't support Britt. Trump is supportive of closed borders, so they can't support closed borders."
Hudson said whether people related to Britt's delivery should not be the issue. He said everyone should be able to agree that protecting citizens from human traffickers, drug cartels and gangs should be a priority.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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