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The joke around town is that I freed El Chapo from the Mexican prison because the timing was so good w/ my statements on border security.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2015

“I'm fighting for much more than myself,\" Trump said in a statement Monday. \"I'm fighting for the future of our country which is being overrun by criminals. You can't be intimidated. This is too important.\"

A massive manhunt is currently under way for Joaquin \"El Chapo\" Guzman, who escaped over the weekend from a maximum security prison in Mexico.

The leader of the Sinaloa cartel escaped from the Altiplano prison, 55 miles west of Mexico City, shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday, said Monte Alejandro Rubido, the head of Mexico's National Security Commission. He had been arrested in February 2014 after more than 10 years on the run.

Trump has been in the middle of a heated debate since raising the issue of illegal immigration when he announced his candidacy last month.

“When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best,” Trump said in his announcement speech. “They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Since making those remarks, many companies including Univision, NBC and Macy’s have ended their business relationship with Trump.

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

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