In many ways, I seriously disagree with this.
Am not talking of 'right' in the legal sense but in the moral sense. In principle, if someone want to remain ignorant, I say let him/her be. But the problem I have is that if Americans pride themselves on being a country of immigrants with emphasis that immigrants infuse the American society with new ideas to make the country, not only grows but grows faster than others, then by that boast and emphasis, the speaker effectively done away with his/her right to remain ignorant, especially ignorant of how immigrants needs assists in assimilation into the American society.
I do not see this as a two-way street but as two coming to a middle ground. Not immediately and this is where the burden initially falls upon the immigrant. Yes, the immigrant can expect the native to be welcoming, but the immigrant must understand changes must be gradual because not everyone tolerate changes to the same degree. So yes, initially, the immigrant may have to give more than the native. For the American, if he sees the immigrant gave more than that middle ground, do your part to pull him to that middle ground by giving up some of your demands. Tolerate his different mode of dress or different cooking, and so on.
As a whole, the American society have been largely successful at this. But as this incident shows, not all Americans are willing to go up to that middle point and stay there.