Former Rep. Esteban Torres, a California Democrat who served eight terms in the House and built a legacy of public service focused on advancing Latino representation, died on Tuesday. He was 91.
“His work was profoundly influential in the nation and Latino community," Ricardo Lara, president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials , said in a
Torres chaired various congressional subcommittees, including Finance and Urban Affairs and Banking and Small Business. He also chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and was delegated deputy whip by Democratic leadership. Torres helped pass landmark legislation such as the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which gave legal status to more than 3 million people.
“His life of public service and many, many accomplishments are a reflection of, and matched by, his character,” Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, said in a. “He was a gracious, kind, dignified, and gentle man for whom belief in civility, love of country, and reaching out to and working with everyone—including those he disagreed with—was not just lip service but who he was at his core.