Former Mexican President Vicente Fox derisively called Attorney General Jeff Sessions "the little mouse" on Tuesday.

"I call him the little mouse ... Sessions, because he obeys his boss Trump," Fox said in English at the National Press Club.

"Because he's so aggressive with migrants ... many cases are unfair and they the lack the most basic justice," Fox said.

Fox mocked Sessions in response to a question about Mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto, who was detained by U.S. immigration authorities in Texas. Gutierrez argues his physical safety is at risk if he returns to Mexico.

Fox, the former president and a frequent commentator on U.S. politics, also said the North American Free Trade Agreement improved Mexico's economy, reducing the economic motive for illegal immigration into the United States. He said "we both win" if there's free trade, and recommended keeping the deal.

He also repeated a call for legalizing marijuana. "Prohibitions don't work," he said. "I've been in every market where drugs have been approved and legalized. ... It works pretty well. Some people move from being criminals to being farmers or being businessmen."

Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, has colorfully denounced President Trump. He said Tuesday that Trump is "stubborn" and that a border wall is pointless. "The Mongols and the Manchus jumped the wall and conquered China," he said.

Although Fox mocked Sessions as Trump's obedient subservient, Sessions has been on thin ice with his boss over his decision to recuse himself from oversight of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of possible Trump collusion with Russia.

Trump reportedly has his own nickname for Sessions, calling him "Mr. Magoo," a goofy TV cartoon character popular in the 1950s.

