American ambassadors were sent to Paris to negotiate with France after tensions arose between the two countries. France demanded money from the U.S. during these negotiations. In response, President John Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, making it harder for French immigrants, or aliens. Specifically, the Acts increased the residency requirement for citizenship from 5 to 14 years, allowed the President to deport dangerous aliens without trial, and made it illegal to publish false and malicious writing against the government. This divided the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties on whether the laws were necessary to ensure national security or an overreach of federal power.