He served in the United States Army from 1950 to 1953 during the Korean War as a radio operator with the Third Infantry Division.

On March 28, 1967, he was elected to the New York State Senate, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Eugene Rodriguez.

Garcia remained in Congress until January 7, 1990, when he decided to resign following his trial on charges by U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani that he was linked to the Wedtech scandal.

Wedtech had been founded by a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, John Mariotta, but one of his partners, Fred Neuberger, quietly acquired more than 50% ownership, which suddenly made the company ineligible for special SBA treatment and millions of dollars in government contracts.

Garcia died from an infection due to his emphysema on January 25, 2017, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, sixteen days after his 84th birthday.

[8] In addition to the many awards bestowed on him while in elected public service, former Congressman Garcia is increasingly being recognized for his pioneering role in black and Hispanic politics, with organizations such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the New York State Assembly and Senate and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) honoring him at gala events in 2015 and 2016.