diff --git a/horizon/exceptions.py b/horizon/exceptions.py
index de9b278e37..5c545273de 100644
--- a/horizon/exceptions.py
+++ b/horizon/exceptions.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import logging
 import os
 import sys
 
-from debtcollector import removals
 from django.core.management import color_style
 from django.utils import encoding
 from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
@@ -192,22 +191,6 @@ def error_color(msg):
     return color_style().ERROR_OUTPUT(msg)
 
 
-@removals.remove(message='Use exceptions.handle() instead', version='17.2.0')
-def check_message(keywords, message):
-    """Checks an exception for given keywords and raises an error if found.
-
-    It raises a new ``ActionError`` with the desired message if the
-    keywords are found. This allows selective
-    control over API error messages.
-    """
-    exc_type, exc_value, exc_traceback = sys.exc_info()
-    if set(str(exc_value).split(" ")).issuperset(set(keywords)):
-        exc_value.message = message
-        # NOTE: This function is intended to call inside an except clause.
-        # pylint: disable=misplaced-bare-raise
-        raise
-
-
 def handle_unauthorized(request, message, redirect, ignore, escalate, handled,
                         force_silence, force_log,
                         log_method, log_entry, log_level):
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 9eed09a458..cae4b8d711 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ pbr>=5.5.0 # Apache-2.0
 
 # Horizon Core Requirements
 Babel>=2.6.0 # BSD
-debtcollector>=1.2.0 # Apache-2.0
 Django>=4.2,<4.3 # BSD
 django-compressor>=2.4.1 # MIT
 django-debreach>=1.4.2 # BSD License (2 clause)