The
Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills passed by the
Federalist dominated
5th United States Congress, and signed into law by Federalist President
John Adams in 1798. They made it harder for an immigrant to become a citizen (
Naturalization Act), allowed the president to imprison and deport noncitizens who were deemed dangerous (Alien Friends Act) or who were from a hostile nation (Alien Enemies Act), and criminalized making false statements that were critical of the federal government (Sedition Act). The Federalists argued that they strengthened national security during an
undeclared naval war with France. Critics argued that they were primarily an attempt to suppress voters who disagreed with the Federalist party, and violated the right of freedom of speech in the
First Amendment. Three of the acts were repealed after the
Democratic-Republican party of
Thomas Jefferson came to power. But the Alien Enemies Act remained in effect, was revised and codified in 1918 for use in
World War I, and was used by
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to imprison
Japanese,
German, and
Italian aliens during
World War II. Following cessation of hostilities, the act was used by President
Harry S. Truman to continue to imprison, then deport aliens of the formerly hostile nations. In 1948, the Supreme Court determined that presidential powers under the acts continued after cessation of hostilities, until there was a peace treaty with the hostile nation. The revised Alien Enemies Act remains in effect today.