U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to keep families together at the border, but a "zero-tolerance" prosecution policy will continue.

"The border is just as tough, but we do want to keep families together," Trump said at the signing Wednesday.

The effort marks a dramatic departure for an administration that has been insisting, wrongly, that it had no choice but to separate families apprehended at the border because of the law and a court decision.

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"We have to have strong borders and ultimately we want to see it done right," he said, adding that his administration "will get the wall done."

Last week, the president told reporters that he didn't like seeing children taken away from their families but that you "can't do it through an executive order."

About 2,300 children have been separated from their families since April after the U.S. announced a new "zero-tolerance" policy that refers all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution even though traditionally most would ultimately be deported, with some serving short jail sentences.

It's not yet clear what this means for children currently being detained.

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President Donald Trump, under pressure from angry members of his own party, said Wednesday that he would be "signing something in a little while" that would keep families together at the border, halting a policy he instituted earlier this year.

"I’ll be doing something that's somewhat pre-emptive and ultimately will be matched by legislation I’m sure," Trump told reporters when asked if he wants to try to keep to families together at the U.S. border.

"I’ll be signing something in a little while that’s going to do that," he said. "We want to solve this immigration problem." The signing was expected to take place later Wednesday afternoon.