Washington (CNN) Acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli defended a change in the process for children of some federal employees and members of the US armed forces living overseas to gain US citizenship, saying it was done to comply with the law and stressing that it doesn't take away any avenue to become a citizen.

"What was going on before was that the USCIS approach to working these children up to be citizens was not consistent with the State Department's or the law, so we were acting illegally," Cuccinelli said Thursday in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash.

The policy change released Wednesday sparked confusion among the military and diplomatic communities, which were concerned that it would place hurdles before the children of federal employees and military workers serving abroad. As a result, the alert was met with an immediate backlash, as lawyers and groups tried to parse what it meant and who it affected.

Cuccinelli has since conducted several interviews, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services hosted a call with reporters on the change Thursday.

The guidance does not make anyone ineligible for citizenship. USCIS officials have since explained that it changes the paperwork that some families whose children are born overseas will have to fill out.

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