U.S. President Donald Trump defended his hard-line immigration policies during a rally in Minnesota Wednesday night, just hours after backing off his administration’s efforts to separate immigrant families at the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

“We’re going to keep families together, but the border is going to be just as tough as it’s been,” Trump jubilated .

Trump also denounced his political opponents and those who make unauthorized border crossings, suggesting the money used to care for them could be better spent on America’s rural communities and inner cities.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. president appeared more thoughtful saying he was signing an executive order to end separation of families “because I think that’s probably a very important thing to be doing and I also think that it’s the right thing to do.”

It remains unclear what will happen with the more than 2300 children separated from their parents at the border in recent weeks. Authorities have said they are working to reunite families but have provided no clear answers on how.

An ambitious House Republican bill to overhaul immigration will go to a vote Thursday.