Valdosta, Georgia (CNN)A
large group of black students attending a Donald Trump rally at
Valdosta State University Monday were escorted out by law enforcement
before the event started.
"We didn't plan to do anything," Tahjila Davis, a 19-year-old mass media major, told The Des Moines Register. "They said, 'This is Trump's property; it's a private event.' But I paid my tuition to be here."
News reports placed the number of students escorted out at about 30.
Kicking
out anticipated protestors isn't an uncommon practice for Trump events,
but this was one of the largest groups so far in his campaign. It
occurred hours after a Secret Service agent choke-slammed a Time
magazine photographer attempted to capture images of #BlackLivesMatter
protesters at an event in Virginia.
Though
at least one outlet reported the students were kicked out based on a
request by the Trump campaign, the campaign denies that was the case.
"There is absolutely zero truth to that," says campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks.
One Secret Service agent oversaw the students' removal, but agents did not actively participate in escorting them out.
"If
a group at an event protests, it does not become an issue with the
United States Secret Service unless our protectee is threatened," said
Kevin Dye, a spokesman for Secret Service. He said it's not uncommon for
Secret Service agents to monitor these situations, but they do not
actively participate in removing protesters.
Another Secret Service agent told CNN the protesters were "asked to leave by the host committee and local law enforcement."
"We
do not escort protestors (or) disruptors out of events," the agent,
speaking on background, said. "(It's) not a Secret Service function and
(campaign) staff knows that."
Time
magazine photographer Chris Morris told CNN that at a rally earlier in
the day a Secret Service agent began choking him as he tried to exit the
media pen.
A video of the incident
shot by an attendee at the rally and later posted on social media shows
the agent putting two hands on the photographer's neck and slamming him
to the ground.
A Secret Service
spokesman said the agency is "aware of an incident involving an
employee" and will provide further details of the incident after they
gather the facts.
Marco Rubio slams Donald Trump over 'KKK' comments 01:04
"Our
local field office is working with their law enforcement partners to
determine the exact circumstances that led up to this incident. The
Secret Service will provide further details as warranted once additional
facts surrounding the situation are known," said spokesman Robert
Hoback.
The Valdosta student protest
came after Trump also spent part of the day trying to clean up a
racially charged controversy after he refused to disavow former Ku Klux
Klan grand wizard David Duke over the weekend.
When asked about his Sunday comments on CNN's "State of the Union," Trump blamed a "bad earpiece."
"I
was sitting in a house in Florida, with a bad earpiece," the brash
billionaire told NBC's "Today" show. "I could hardly hear what he's
saying. I hear various groups. I don't mind disavowing anyone. I
disavowed Duke the day before at a major conference."
Duke had detailed his support for Trump in a Facebook post on Thursday.
