Yes, the census was part of that and then soon after because Herod wanted to prevent Hebrew prophecy from happening; if he killed every baby boy under a certain age, then Herod wouldn't have to worry about this 'new born King' as foretold in scripture. Hence - the massacre of the innocents.

Matthew 2: When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with the time he learned from the wise men.