He was raised in East Los Angeles, California mostly by his mother, Rena Gómez.

Torres came up through the United Auto Workers, ultimately serving as the international representative of UAW 1964-68 in Washington, DC.

In addition to being active in the labor movement, he was appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris, France, from 1977 to 1979 and served as a special assistant to President Jimmy Carter from 1979 to 1981.

[1] Torres was unsuccessful in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Representatives in 1974, but was elected in 1982 as a Democrat.

During his time in office, he prioritized issue related to Hispanics, and in 1986 he played a key role in the development and passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act.