Acting Deputy Homeland Secretary Ken Cuccinelli tweeted Monday that the Hanukkah party stabber was the son of an illegal immigrant and suggested he didn't assimilate properly in a tweet which was later deleted.

'The attacker is the US Citizen son of an illegal alien who got amnesty under the 1986 amnesty law for illegal immigrants,' Cuccinelli wrote on his official account.

'Apparently, American values did not take hold among this entire family, at least this one violent, and apparently bigoted, son.'

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment on the deleted tweet, including whether Cuccinelli's claims that Thomas was the son of an illegal immigrant were accurate.

Grafton Thomas, 37, the accused stabber, is the son of immigrants from Guyana, his attorney Michael Sussman told DailyMail.com. His mother became a naturalized citizen in 1986, while his father now lives in Utah and the pair are not close.

The accused man's attorney did not address whether his father had previously been in the U.S.illegally.

'I think this use of immigration, we won't get into a broader conversation of it here today, but it's more than regrettable that the events of 30-plus years ago are in any way linked to this,' said Thomas' lawyer Sussman.

Sussman said his client and his father 'had some, but not an extensive relationship.' Of his mother Kim Thomas, Sussman said: 'In 1986, she gained citizenship in the United States and she has been a law-abiding and contributing member of our community.'

He added: 'I already know that people have written all sorts of crazy things about immigration status, all sorts of accusations and allegations.

Thomas Grafton has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary for wielding a machete at a Hanukkah party outside of New York City

Immigration question: Grafton Thomas' mother Kim (left) is a naturalized citizen from Guayana, where his father is also from, attorney Michael Sussman said. The attorney said attempts to make the issue about immigration were 'crazy'

Ken Cuccinelli claimed that Thomas Grafton came to the U.S. illegally and that 'American values did not take hold.' The factual basis of his tweet remains unclear

'I think at a time like this being calm as possible and not responding with a great deal of hysteria and overdramatization; not allowing political leaders to make this into something it is not, is of paramount public importance.'

Thirty seven-year-old Thomas is accused of bursting into the Monsey, New York home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg.

Rottenberg was hosting a Hanukkah party. Thomas was wielding a machete.

He's been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.

At a Monday press conference, Sussman brought Thomas' mother, Kim, and the family's pastor Reverend Wendy Paige.

Sussman said that Ms Thomas was not ready to comment 'given her level of upset' but that she wanted to attend due to her worry for those who were attacked.

The attorney said: 'She is obviously deeply concerned about those who were victimized by this as well as her own son and his status.

'She is a registered nurse. She's worked at a hospital in New York City for many years. She's come out of public housing projects to own a home in Greenwood Lake in New York to bring her son up in a manner which was as positive as possible.'

President Trump blamed anti-Semitism for the attack.

'The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is horrific,' he tweeted Sunday. 'We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery.'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was 'hatred from Washington' that was responsible.

Thomas' family, in a widely distributed statement from his lawyer, said the alleged stabber has 'a long history of mental illness and hospitalizations.'

Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg had his Hanukkah party ruined by 37-year-old Grafton Thomas, who was wielding a machete and stabbing attendees, police say

'He has no known history of anti-Semitism and was raised in a home which embraced and respected all religions and races,' Sussman said. 'He is not a member of any hate groups.'

Law enforcement officials, however, found materials in Thomas' home that indicate he was purposely targeting Jews. Officers allegedly found on his phone web searches for 'Why did Hitler hate the Jews,' in addition to 'Roman Jewish Temples near me' and 'Zionist Temples of Staten Island.'

On the night of the attack, Thomas' internet browser was used to read an article headlined, 'New York City increases Police presence in Jewish neighborhoods after possible anti-Semitic attacks. Here's what to know.'

He faces federal hate crime charges.

Cuccinelli's tweet, tying Thomas' behavior to his father's immigration status, was treated with derision.

'This is a despicable tweet by a senior gov’t official, impugning the "values" of an entire family based on the actions of one member. Why is the past immigration status of the father relevent to this case, for which a motive is not yet known?' commented David Lapan of the Bipartisan Policy Center, who previously served as a DHS spokesman. 'More @HomelandKen fear-mongering,' Lapan added.

Cuccinelli is the Trump administration official who reworded the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty to make the point that immigrants shouldn't be burdens.

'They certainly are: "Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge,"' he said during an interivew on NPR's 'Morning Edition.'

'That plaque was put on the Statue of Liberty at almost the same time as the first public charge was passed - very interesting timing,' he added.

His reference to 'amnesty' in 1986 refers to Ronald Reagan's signing into law of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act.

It legalized the status and gave a path to citizenship of of most people who were illegal immigrants and had arrived before January 1, 1982, and also made it illegal to knowingly hire illegal immigrants, which previously had not been a federal offense.

The number of people affected by the amnesty is estimated to be about 2.7 million.