U.S. Sen. Katie Britt defended her response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Sunday, including her story about a woman who became a victim of human trafficking at the age of 12.

Britt delivered the Republican SOTU response Thursday night from her home in Montgomery. During her speech, she hammered Biden’s immigration and border policies, calling it a “crisis.”

But she also told the story of a woman she met at the U.S. southern border who was a victim of human trafficking and sexual assault, starting at age 12. Journalists, including former foreign correspondent Jonathan Katz, noted that the events in the story happened more than 20 years ago in Mexico, well before Biden took office.

In an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Britt said that she did not intend to imply that the story took place while Biden was in office. In the time since, the woman, Karla Jacinta Romero, has become a “victim’s rights advocate,” she said, and Britt hoped that the story would shed light on what was happening at the border.

Still, Britt doubled down on her criticism of Biden, arguing that his policies have led to an increase of human trafficking at the border. The media has refused to cover the issue, she says.

“I very specifically said, ‘This is what President Biden did during his first 100 days,’” Britt said during her appearance Sunday. “Those types of [policies] act as a magnet to have more and more people here.”

In her first 100 days in office, Britt said, she visited the southern border three times, asking for the “real, unvarnished truth.”

Britt’s response to the State of the Union was panned heavily for her delivery and affect. Scarlett Johansson even spoofed Britt’s speech on “Saturday Night Live.”

“Tonight, I’ll be auditioning for the part of ‘scary mom,’” Johansson said during the show’s cold open. Britt’s speech was also the target of jokes during the show’s long-running “Weekend Update” sketch, hosted by Johansson’s husband, Colin Jost, and Michael Che.

Not everyone criticized Britt’s speech. Former President Donald Trump praised the speech on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling her “compassionate and caring.”

Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022, following the retirement of Richard Shelby. Britt served as Shelby’s chief of staff prior to his retirement.